United
by Funygirl38
Summary: Third installment of the Descent series, it would seem Loki has it all, a family, friends, the peace of a home. But when that peace is shattered, Loki must fight to restore it, at all costs.
1. Chapter 1

The flutter of movement atop the ridge caught his eye. He had stopped plowing and was kneeling in the fresh turned earth, trying to pry a rock from Blackberry's hoof with a knife. He glanced up at the ridge to mark his brother's presence and fell to his work again. A few minutes more and he had the rock free. When he looked to the ridge again, there was no one there.

The first time he had seen him up on the ridge, watching him as he was marking out his field, he had put his hand upon his ever present dagger and prepared to run but Thor had come no closer, merely sat on his horse. Loki had returned to his work then, always on his guard but eventually losing track of time and when he'd looked again was surprised to find he'd disappeared in the interim. Now he paid him little attention. Once or twice a week he would appear on the ridge, watch him work his land with his family.

Once, Fen, at the time not yet five seasons old, who had been in the field with him, helping to sow barley, had asked him who was the man on the hill. Loki had only replied, "A neighbor I suppose." and had deigned to explain any further but Fen, now into his sixth season, was helping his mother at the cottage today and so did not see his uncle's appearance.

The sun was low on the horizon as Loki unhitched Blackberry from the plow to start for home. Eidra had indulged Brenna, letting her name the two-season old mare when they had acquired her and every time thereafter Eidra and Brenna would hear him call to the horse, they would giggle.

A short way down the rutted track between the fields and the cottage, Loki came to a small clearing and dismounted. Towards the edge of the treeline was a small cairn. He walked over to it and stood silent for a bit.

A little less than two months after she had returned to Asgard, Eidra had become pregnant again. But this pregnancy had been different, difficult, much more so than Brenna's. She had been plagued with morning sickness for months, her back would ache with the least bit of effort, and she could not sleep well. And then one night while they sat before the hearth, Eidra knitting, Helgi rocking Brenna, she had bent forward and cried out as her water soaked the chair and her skirt. It was much too early and Ren and Helgi had tried everything they knew to stop her labor while Sally sat beside Eidra on the bed and held her hand but in the wee hours of the morning, she had been delivered of a tiny baby boy whom she'd straight away named Silas. She had held him while he struggled valiantly for each breath but in the end, it was too much. He had not lived quite three hours.

She and Loki had built the cairn, laying baby Silas beneath the stones. Eidra had been inconsolable, her happy demeanor wiped away. She would sit in the rocking chair, quiet, withdrawn, some evenings not uttering so much as one word. Helgi could not draw her out, nor could Sally, even Brenna would tug at her sleeve without result finally crawling into Helgi's lap to stare at Eidra as she sat and rocked.

As the days turned into weeks, Loki could no longer accept that Eidra would not recover and he had insisted she come for a ride with him one day. They had returned to their waterfall, for that was how he now looked at it, where he had knelt before her and formally asked for her hand in marriage. Her forlorn demeanor had cracked then, she had sobbed "Yes, Oh yes!"into his shoulder and they had made love on the bank beside the cataract for the first time since Silas's passing. Nine months later, a few days before Brenna's eighth birthday, another son had been born to them and they had named him Fenris.

Loki touched the topmost stone of the cairn then returned to where Blackberry stood, munching on the tall grass of the clearing. The sun had dipped below the horizon when at last he closed the barn door and headed inside the cottage where he found Eidra, Helgi and Brenna setting the evening meal on the long table before the hearth. Fen was playing at the opposite end of the table with the small wooden animals Chris had whittled for him but when he heard the door shut behind Loki, he had jumped up and ran to him, wrapping his arms about his waist. "Papa, Sally brought another animal for me today."

Loki had put his hand atop Fen's head and ruffled his hair. "Show me."

Soon after they'd returned to Asgard, Loki had seen that Eidra was safe and settled and then he had gone back to Tir Na Nog for Sally and Chris, managing to affect the same transformation for Sally that he'd been able to do with Eidra, discovering, with Fin's help that the repository for the other half of her own soul lie with her in her wedding ring. They had been made to fetch it first, though they'd had to find her remains by the light of a lantern in an old cemetery in Tralee under cover of night, and were very nearly caught and arrested but luck had been with them. When they had made a safe getaway, he had then begged them to come to Asgard and start their own farm which they had agreed would suit them though Chris had pondered starting another bakery. "Not here, my boy but in Asgard. The world has gone mad since I left it."

But fate has a way of being cruel. When they left Tir Na Nog, their bodies began to age again naturally and of late, Chris had been having a hard time getting around. He would stay in his chair by the fire and whittle animals. He said he was building Fen a toy Noah's ark and when Loki had asked who Noah was, Chris had waved at him saying he was certainly no Asgardian. Loki kept the fields for both households with the help of the rest of the family though Helgi too was starting to slow down.

Loki sat at the end of the table beside Fen who climbed up on his lap and held up to him what looked like a long-necked horse with brown spots. "Chris said it is called a giraffe."

"I shall take his word for it. Have you been helping your mother today."

Fen nodded but Loki heard a snort from the other end of the table. He looked up to see Brenna shaking her head. "Have you something to say, Bren?"

"He has set there half the day playing with those animals. I had to ask him three times to fetch more wood for the fire and then you would think we beat him, so pitifully did he moan and groan about it."

"Is this true?" Loki leaned forward and looked up at Fen's face as he heard whispered mutterings between Eidra and Brenna. Fen's eyes slid to Loki's then to where Brenna stood. "Sort of, papa."

"Sort of, hmmm. I expect you to do as you are told the first time, especially when asked by a lady of the house."

"Yes, papa."

"Now go gather your toys and put them in their box, it is time to eat."

His face forlorn, he jumped down from Loki's lap and went back to the pile of animals as he heard the voices at the other end of the table reach a fever pitch and he stood up.

As soon as she saw him stand, Brenna crossed her arms and sat down in her chair at the table, a cross look on her face and he sighed. In the months that followed her move to Rialo, Brenna had immediately taken to Eidra, following her around, helping her, eager to please. But with Loki, she had shied away, hiding behind the skirts of whoever was available at the time when he would approach her.

He had tried everything in his power to turn her head, bringing her to the field to work with him so that he could talk to her, paying careful attention when she would favor him enough to talk to him, even showing her some spells, helping her to practice them until she could do one or two on her own but instead of the affection between a father and daughter he felt more like an instructor and his student.

He well remembered the day when she turned ten seasons that Helgi felt she was ready to know that Eidra and Loki were her parents. She had looked at them both. Knowing the story of Tir Na Nog already, she had embraced Eidra wholeheartedly but she had looked at Loki with anger, shouting at him, asking where he had been while she lived in the palace with Helgi. He had been forced to confess that he had been there, locked up in the cells below. "For my entire life at the palace?" She had cried. When he had said no, that she had known him when she was a baby, she had refused to believe him, later confessing to Eidra that she recalled a man but faintly who had given her a small leather ball that she still possessed. When Eidra said that they were one and the same, Brenna had denied it.

Now at close to fourteen seasons, she was further withdrawn if that was possible though Loki suspected it had something to do with the fact that Eidra was now showing with her fourth pregnancy.

Loki walked up to Eidra and kissed her forehead, putting his hands across her belly and purring into her ear, "Hello, little minx. You look lovely today."

Her troubled countenance smoothed at once as she looked up at him and smiled, reaching a hand to his temple to stroke the few silver strands there that had started to show in the last couple of seasons. The whisper of crows feet at the corners of his eyes had served only to make him more handsome. She stretched upward and kissed him then, whispering something in his ear that made him smile and close his eyes, subsequently causing Brenna to roll hers.

As they sat down to the meal, Fen began his normal chatter, ignoring the glare from his sister.

"Papa, did the man come to the fields today?"

Loki glanced at Eidra and nodded, "He did, why?"

He could sense Brenna was about to kick Fen under the table and he put his leg out between them in anticipation.

"Well the other day when we took Blackberry out to the field, he helped us."

The kick caught Loki in the calf, he turned his head to stare at Brenna whose eyes had gone wide as her face flushed crimson and her eyes flitted to his in apology, though he was aware that what was about to come to light was going to reflect on her, seeing as she had been entrusted with Fen's care on the day in question.

"We were on our way home down the path when we stopped at the clearing but we forgot to tie Blackberry off on a tree and Brenna got mad at me and yelled and the horse got scared and ran and we ran after her and tried to catch her. The man must have been in the forest because he came running from the treeline waving his cape and yelling at Blackberry to stop her. Then he took the reins and gave them to Bren and asked us our names."

Loki had been listening to Fen but watching Brenna who tried with every fiber in her being, not to look up at Loki until she had no choice. He answered Fen then but kept his eyes on her, "And did you tell him your names?"

"Yes papa, but you told us not to talk to strangers so we said we had to go."

"And Brenna, have I not told you to tie off the horse countless times? And to have a care for your brother?"

"Yes, father."

The term "father" had always troubled him, no matter what had gone past, she would never use any other term than father, not papa not daddy, simply father and it reminded him of Odin. "And you never told me of your encounter. Do you not think this is something I would have wanted to know?"

Loki waited for Brenna to elaborate on her adventure further. Having lived in the palace for the first half of her life, she knew full well who Thor was, Fen however, had never met him and Brenna had been warned early on that any discussing the royal family or Loki's connection with such had been forbidden in the household. Even when, a month after Fen's birth, a black gelding had arrived led by a royal courier and been announced as a birth present for the new baby, Loki had instructed Brenna to tell no one though such happenings in a small village hardly went unnoticed.

"What else did he say to you Brenna?"

She stared hard at the stew in her wooden bowl and mumbled, "He asked after you."

He could feel Fen's eyes boring into him. "And what said you in return?"

Brenna laced her hands beneath the table, "I said you were well."

Loki put down the spoonful of stew he'd held hovering before him. "And did I not tell you that you were not to engage him in conversation?"

Brenna's mouth dropped open and Loki was struck by how much she resembled her mother.

"You would have me be rude to him when he went out of his way to help us with the horse?"

Loki clenched his hands into fists, felt Eidra's own hand on his thigh, "I would have you say thank you and have done with it. My welfare is of no concern to him."

She threw her hands in the air, "Then maybe you should cast one of your spells to remove my manners."

Loki sat forward, "I believe that spell has already been cast. Perhaps a spell to improve your obedience is in order."

Brenna pushed her chair away from the table and stood up. "Then might I suggest you begin casting?"

At once she turned from the table and stormed out the front door of the cottage. Loki leaped up from the table, "Brenna!" and was about to follow her outside when Eidra grabbed his arm,

"Let her go, Loki."

He turned on her, "And let her believe she may answer me in such a manner whenever she pleases?"

Eidra pulled him closer, "Let me talk to her this evening, she is at that rebellious age. We all experienced it."

He turned, saw Helgi watching them, nodding. "It would seem that you have forgotten what is was like to be young and feel no one kens you."

He looked towards the door, "There are some, it seems, that never believe I shall."

Fen had gotten up from the table and was slowly creeping towards the door, hoping that they would keep talking so that he could slip away and find his sister.

Next to Papa, Brenna was his best friend, though sometimes, she seemed his worst enemy. There were days it seemed he could do nothing right and she would chide him for the least offense. Then there were the times she would sit with him by the hearth and make a small village with her box of stones for him to parade his wooden menagerie through, make up stories to tell him, carry the firewood he'd been told to haul in to replenish the fire rack. He wanted to find her and tell her to come back home but as his hand touched the door latch, he heard his Papa's voice. "Fenris, return to the table this instant."

He scrambled back to the table and sat down with an innocent look on his face that brought a sad smile to Loki's. "She will return when she is ready." Eidra stroked Fen's raven hair as she held Loki's gaze. He heaved a loud sigh and returned to his chair. It saddened her to see him act so defeated so when she sat back down beside him, she slipped her hand over his and gave a gentle squeeze which he returned as he cast a glance at Helgi. "Was I this much trouble?"

She smiled, "And more."

Brenna kept up her quick pace until she reached Chris and Sally's dooryard and stood there panting. When she finally was able to catch her breath, she knocked on the door and heard Sally call, "The door is unlatched."

She opened the door a crack and stuck her head in, "Am I intruding?"

Sally was sitting with Chris at the small round table before the fire and they looked to have just finished their evening meal. "My goodness," Sally exclaimed, "Brenna dearest, what are ye doing out at this late hour?" Brenna had stepped inside and shut the cottage door, now her face fell, "May I stay here with you tonight?"

Sally rose from her chair and led Brenna to the table, sitting her down and rubbing her shoulders. "Have you eaten?" Chris asked, reaching over and patting her hand. She shook her head, "Well we can't have that. Sally, my love, fix a plate will you?"

Brenna held her hands up and shook her head. "Please do not trouble yourself." but when the haunch of rabbit and roasted potatoes was set before her, she immediately fell to, missing the looks exchanged over her head. They let her eat her fill as they made small talk, letting her finish before Chris templed his hands beneath his chin and cleared his throat. "So Bren, perhaps you will now tell your Uncle Chris what troubled you so that you walked all the way here in the pitch dark?"

"Alone," Sally added.

Chris watched a dark cloud fall over her features as she sat back and crossed her arms, "I hate him."

Chris nodded, Brenna being so young, it would take a dolt to figure out who "him" was but still he ventured, "Fen?"

Her frown deepened and he was surprised when she answered, "Loki."

"Brenna!" Sally cried, "Do not disrespect your father in this house, address him correctly!"

An angry tear formed in the corner of her eye, "Begging your pardon, my father."

Sally pulled her chair closer to Brenna's and draped her arm across her shoulders, feeling her slump against the back of the chair. "My little dove, whatever could he do to make ye say such things?"

"He tells me to do one thing and when I obey, he tells me I was wrong to do so. He charges me with Fen's care when we are together and then when Fen misbehaves, I am blamed for it. I ask him to show me how to hunt and he says that it is not a woman's place to do so. Then he takes Fen instead. He gets frustrated with me when he tries to show me spells and I cannot do them correctly. I hate him!"

Chris raised his eyebrows, "This is no random happenstance, I feel. What initiated this tirade?"

Brenna sniffed, wiping her nose on her sleeve before Sally could reach for a linen kerchief, shaking her head as Chris smiled, "Come child, tell me."

"We went to the fields for...father and on our way home, we stopped at Silas's grave for a moment and Fen began to run around. I yelled at him and he just kept laughing and running and it spooked Blackberry so she started to run too. I thought she was going to run right over Fen and I screamed at him to get out of the way."

Chris nodded, "You didn't tie up the horse like your father tells you to?"

"No, I did not think we would be long, the horse was heading for the woods and I thought we would lose her when the King burst through the brush waving his cloak, stopping Blackberry in her tracks. When he had her quieted, he brought her to us."

Chris bit his lip, he could almost imagine what had ensued at Loki's house upon his discovery of such an event. His household had been one of the few in the whole of the kingdom that had refused to attend the coronation of Thor as King of Asgard when Odin declared he was finally stepping down from the throne. Loki had told Chris that Thor often came to watch him, not daring to approach him and now he had met with the children.

"And then what happened?" Chris prodded her.

"He asked us our names and we told him. Then he asked after Lo...father."

Sally rubbed her back, "He wasn't rude was he?"

Brenna shook her head, "He was very polite, he laughed when I curtsied but then he bid us farewell and walked back into the forest."

Chris tapped his chin with a finger, "Ah and you told your father about this little encounter."

"Yes, I would not have, had it not been for Fen. He had to tell father all about it, the little snitch."

"But ye shouldn't keep secrets from your father, especially where it concerns his brother." Sally glanced at Chris who nodded.

"If they are brothers, why do they not speak. Father refuses to discuss it with me, or anyone else but Mama."

"It's a long story, sweetheart, one I am not at liberty to discuss with you. Your father went through some very painful experiences with his brother. He would prefer not to relive them. Perhaps, given time, he will talk about them, but don't expect miracles." Chris took her hand and kissed it, "Now why don't you let us take you home? It isn't safe to be out at such an hour all alone. Your parents will be worried sick."

Chris started to rise from the table but Sally pushed him down, "I will bring her home, ye stay here. I can handle meself."

Chris began to protest but Sally would have none of it. "Ye don't need to be out either. The night air agrees not with ye."

"Jesu' woman, then take my musket with you and don't tarry along the way." Chris pointed towards the musket which hung on the wall over the front door. Sally waved him off but took down the musket just the same while Brenna gave Chris a hug and followed Sally out the door to the stables.

Sally let Brenna down from the horse just as the door to the cottage swung open and Eidra appeared with a lantern, her green cloak over her shoulders. "Sally, oh dear. We knew she would go to your house. I was readying myself to come and get her. I am so sorry."

"Think nothing of it, Eidra. 'Twas no trouble. We gave her what for. She'll not be coming out alone at night anymore, right?" Sally looked at Brenna who nodded.

"Well thank you for returning her. Will you come in for tea?"

"No, Chris will be here in a panic should I be longer than he thinks I should. He'll have had me eaten by wolves or robbed blind by the time I return home. I will come for a visit on the morrow."

Eidra watched Sally ride off into the darkness and turned to Brenna. "Come inside, I wish to talk with you."

"Where is father?" Brenna peered through the open door.

"I sent him and your brother both to bed. It was not a hard thing to convince your father, he must be up early in the morning."

Brenna walked inside and took the rocking chair before the hearth which had already been banked for the evening. Eidra set the lantern on the mantle and eased herself into the chair opposite Brenna, feeling the baby kick as she made the seat.

"Your father was so upset tonight." Eidra picked up the piece of knitting she'd been working on, "He feels you do not listen to him. That you do not ken why he chastises you when you fail to take a care when you are out with Fen. You are old enough now to take responsibility for your actions."

She started to speak but Eidra held up a finger, "As is Fen. Father spoke to him tonight as well. If you had not walked out, you would have seen him do so."

"But, mama, he blames me for everything Fen does."

"He does not blame you, he only expects you to act responsibly. I told him he should not have chided you for being polite. After all, the King was simply coming to your rescue."

"That is what I said!" She cried.

"Hush, you shall wake the house." Eidra put a finger to her lips. "Now on the morrow, I would ask that you please apologize to your father."

"Only if he will apologize to me." She crossed her arms and sunk into the chair.

"Brenna, your father loves you and he worries about you. Would you have him deny that and ignore everything you do?"

"He already does, all I am is a girl to him. He does not bother with me except to tell me I have done something wrong, or to do something which he then tells me I did wrong. He dotes on Fen."

Eidra rocked gently, the baby was starting to kick more, this was the active time of night and she fervently hoped it would not be so when the baby was born. "You are a girl, men do not always know how to handle daughters. I will talk to him but do not judge him too harshly. He tries, truly he does. If you only knew how much he loved you."

Brenna snorted derisively, "If he could only show me."

Eidra put her hands to her temples and rubbed them, "Brenna, it is time for bed. We shall talk more of this on the morrow."

Eidra pushed herself up from the chair, Brenna standing up in anticipation to aid her but she waved a hand and was finally on her feet. She kissed Brenna on the forehead as she held her face with her hands, "My beautiful child, every day I wish things had not happened as they did, perhaps you would feel differently towards him."

Brenna grumbled, "I do not see how."

Eidra sighed then, "Get to bed now."

She slid beneath the coverlet beside him. She felt cold though the night was warm and she curled up behind him, draping her arm around his stomach, splaying her hand outward. She felt his arm move to hers and gently push her hand down until she giggled and shoved at his back. Still she encircled him though he was soft, and gave him a few slow strokes, thrilling to the way it pulsed beneath her fingers and he began to harden.

"Go to sleep, you dog." She whispered to him, felt him chuckle and close his hand over hers to help her rhythm, heard him whimper when she withdrew her hand.

"It is too much of a stretch now, the baby comes between us."

He rolled to his back and smiled though his eyes were still closed. "I am happy to accommodate you."

She laughed, shook her head, and replaced her hand, "Oh you are most kind, milord."

He nodded, "To a fault...Eidra you have the softest touch." He bucked his hips into her strokes.

"Until my arm tires." She stopped. "Brenna is home."

"I know, I heard you talking to her."

"She thinks you ignore her because she is a girl."

He opened his eyes and she looked up at him in the dim light of the lantern hanging at the wall beside the bedroom door. "I do not mean to do so. I expect her to learn woman's work. She asks me to teach her to hunt, I do not know what to do."

She squeezed him tight, lifting his hips from the bed again, "Gods, my little minx, I am yours to command."

"Good then you shall hear my decree, take her out and show her how to shoot the crossbow."

She felt his head come up from the pillow though she was watching her good work at his waist.

"You taught me, I think it is only fair." She dipped her head down until she was inches from him and flicked her tongue at the tip of his manhood, feeling his hand at the back of her head, pressing gently until she slid further down the bed and took him in her mouth, his groan serving to excite her but she had a job to do. She pulled him back out and looked up at him, "You will try then? To teach her?"

"For you, yes." he stroked her hair.

"No, Loki. For her, and for you."

He nodded, his head dropping back to the pillow as she hovered above him, "You are a good father, do not let anybody tell you different, and now I shall be a good wife." She smiled as she felt him twitch beneath her hand and he purred, "Oh yes you shall."


	2. Chapter 2

She had been screaming just moments ago, her voice still echoing in her ears. Her hands were open, flattened against something cold and smooth. She would have called it a door had it looked like any door she'd ever seen. The room or cell, she could tell which, she was in, was so dark, save for the light she could see in the reflection off the surface of the wall, it was coming from behind her. She heard a sound and spun around, back pressed to the door. The light, she found, was streaming down from a vent in the ceiling making slits of white on the floor. What it was illuminating, however, made her heart start to pound, her stomach clench.

It was the body of a man. He lay on his side, facing away from her, arms twisted behind his back, tied with some sort of striped cording. He had on a strange looking pair of blue pants and a light blue shirt but his feet were bare. As she inched closer, she could see black ink pooling onto the floor beneath him until her angle changed and she realized in the light that the ink was red. It was blood. She could hear a faint whistling noise accompanied by uneven gasps. She crept closer still until she could make out two vertical slits at the man's side. The blood oozing from them was soaking the front of his shirt. She knelt down on the cold floor, held a trembling hand out, poised to touch his shoulder and was suddenly able to see the profile of his face. "Father," she whispered in a shrill voice, then louder, "Father!" He was struggling for breath, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth to the shiny floor, sweat beading on his forehead. His eyes slid to hers. "Papa." She cried, her hands were so cold they felt numb but she had to try, had to concentrate through the tears starting down her cheeks. She spread her hands open, palms down over the wounds but she could feel their depth, the damage they had done, could see the blade in her mind, plunging into his side with no resistance and she moved to get a better angle.

It was then that her knee nudged something at his side. She looked down to see a dagger, the one he always wore at his thigh, stained crimson with blood. He drew breath again and she realized the whistling sound she'd heard before had been coming from the punctures in his lung which she knew even now was filling with blood. He forced his words through the pain, "Was not...your fault." breaking her concentration momentarily, had she done this?

"Hush, Papa, let me heal you."

She was frantic now, her head buzzing from the effort, aching.

"So sorry...Bren." He whispered and she could feel it then, feel his life ebbing away beneath her fingers, just as she had felt it melt away when she had tried to heal the hawk she had accidentally struck with a rock one afternoon as she was chasing a rabbit. It had been as if the power within her hands had been repelled, overwhelmed by the blackness of death. She felt his struggling now, chest heaving, his throat working, his eyes fixed staring into oblivion. His lips moved but soundless, "Bren." as at last he shuddered and lay still.

"Papa!" She screamed, "Do not leave me, PAPA!"

Her eyes snapped open at the touch of a hand on her forehead, the black around her broken by the light of a single candle. She lay there panting as Eidra smoothed her hair from her face, she could see her father standing in the doorway of her room, arms crossed.

"Poppet," Eidra said, "We heard you crying out, what is wrong?"

She could still see the scene before her eyes and she glanced at her father just to be sure he was really there. "I had a bad dream."

"What was it about, Bren?"

Her father walked up behind Eidra and put a hand on her shoulder. She couldn't tell them what she'd seen much less what she'd tried to do. Only Fen knew of her power to heal things, people, animals, plants, anything, and she had charged him with that secret upon pain of big sister.

"I do not remember."

Eidra nodded, stroked her cheek, "Well it was just that, only a dream, you are safe."

Brenna held Eidra's hand to her face, "I know mama, I love you."

Eidra smiled. "I love you too, poppet, forgive me if I cannot bend over for a kiss," she patted her belly and Brenna giggled, sat up and gave her mother a kiss.

"Go back to sleep."

She looked up at her father but quickly looked away, the scene from her dream still haunting her. She heard him sigh, "Good night, Bren."

"Good night, father."

Long after the door had shut behind them, she lay staring into the darkness, replaying the dream in her mind, trying to recall other details, the smells, the sounds. She'd heard footsteps outside the door of people running, shouting. But it had been just a dream. When she heard her father arise to milk the cows early that next morning, she realized she'd never gone back to sleep. She threw the covers back and got out of bed. There was no use, she was up for the day.

Loki walked behind Blackberry, lost in thought. He had opted to turn the fields alone today. The spring sun felt warm on his back, the new green of growth spread over the land but he saw none of it. He was hurting, if the truth be told, and by something so simple as the omission of one word.

Brenna , when she had been dreaming last night, had been calling for him, however, when she awoke, he could see the same fear and distrust in her eyes that he'd lived with for the past seven years. She had told her mother she loved her but had said nothing to him, In fact, he could not recall, in recent memory, when she had ever said it to him. The old anger simmered beneath the surface, why should he care who loved him or not? But it was swiftly replaced with anguish, she was his first born, created in love. How could she have so little of it in her own heart?"

So lost was he in thought that he didn't hear Fen's shouts until he was beside him.

"Papa, Papa!" Fen stopped, bent over holding his sides and panting, his message coming out between breaths, "Mama is...at Sally's with...Brenna...Helgi and I...are at home...and the stranger is there...he wants to see you." Fen looked up at his father who had already started to unhitch the horse from the plow. "Papa?" Fen tapped him on the back and was whisked up off the ground to sit on Blackberry's back. Loki hopped up behind him and made the horse to start off at a gallop back down the path towards the cottage.

Eidra kept her horse at a walk but Brenna let hers trot up and down the path before them, impatient to be kept going so slowly. "Mother, Lightning wishes to run." She patted the neck of the white spotted stallion.

"Then run ahead. I must take my time because of the baby. Be careful."

Brenna smiled, kicked at Lightning's sides and was off down the road. It took her less than three minutes to reach the edge of town where she saw Silvan and Moran standing outside their cottage. She waved to them as she passed but they seemed distracted, looking down the road in the direction she was heading.

As she neared her cottage, she realized why. Three horses stood tied off outside the cottage, the royal standard emblazoned on their saddle blankets. She dismounted but slowly, and tied off Lightning beside the others. One of the horses, a beautiful roan, turned his head to regard her. She opened the door slowly.

There at the table where Helgi had been sitting sewing by the light of the window stood the King, with two of his soldiers. He was talking to her when he heard Brenna enter the cottage and turned to her. She curtsied immediately, could see Helgi's face, nervous, wary as Thor bowed in return. "Brenna is it?" Brenna nodded, "Yes sire."

"Have you kept a tighter rein on your horse?"

"I have sire, thank you."

Eidra had seen the horses from a distance and urged her horse into a trot until she reached her dooryard. She let herself down as quickly as she could and rushed inside the cottage, nearly knocking Brenna over where she stood just inside the door. Thor fixed Eidra with a stare but he bowed, "Milady."

She nodded, made a perfunctory curtsey, "Your Majesty."

Knowing she had to show manners to Brenna she motioned to Helgi who looked still to be in shock. "Helgi would you fetch a pint of ale for his Majesty? He has ridden a long way to favor us with a visit." Helgi was up in a flash as Eidra put her hand on Brenna's shoulder. "May I ask your Majesty what brings him here to our home?"

"You may ask." His countenance was serious, "I must speak with my brother. It is urgent."

She could hear hoofbeats, distant, rapid. "I see,"

Helgi bowed, handed Thor the stein, then turned to Eidra, "I sent Fen to fetch Loki, Milady."

She nodded, watched Thor take a draught of the ale and nod. "Exceeding fine spirits you have. Did you do the brewing?"

Eidra nodded, "Yes, your Majesty." she heard the hoofbeats cease and she stepped from the door to give Loki room for the entrance she was sure he was about to make.

Loki held up his arms and Fen jumped into them, slipping to the ground as Loki bent over his and took him by the shoulder, "Now stay behind me, do you ken?"

"Yes papa."

As reached the door to the cottage he paused to be sure it was truly Thor who had come to see him, heard the booming voice and opened the door wide.

Thor smiled and held out his arms, "Brother!" All at once he had Loki in a great bear hug. "It is truly wonderful to see you!"

He let Loki go and held him then at arms length. Loki could see Fen out of the corner of his eye. He was absolutely gobsmacked, mouth hung open, arms limp at his side. "What does your Majesty wish with a peasant farmer?"

"Loki!" Thor cried, "Do not stand on formality here. We are equals."

"We are nothing of the sort. You are King now, I am a simple citizen." His teeth rattled as Thor shook him.

"You are still a prince in my eyes, and ever shall be."

Loki could see Fen was overwhelmed by now, "I would we could talk someplace privately so that you may state your business."

"Indeed, forgive me." He nodded to everyone standing there. "Outside then?"

Loki pulled from his grasp and waved his hand, "Follow me."

He shut the door behind them but kept walking. "I will not put on a spectacle for the whole village."

They walked around the side of the cottage out past the barns to the head of the path leading to his fields where he stopped and turned to Thor.

"Speak your mind."

Thor's face fell, "Are you not the least bit happy to see me?"

"I admit to a morbid curiosity about the reason for your visit, nothing more.

Thor put his hands out, "Surely you cannot mean it."

Loki advanced on him, "Has time erased your memory. Have you truly forgotten how you took the best thing that ever happened to me and utterly destroyed it? How, for five years, I became a man possessed because of your selfish actions!" He was shouting now, Hel and be damned who heard him.

"I am sorry brother, I.."

"Do not bother!" Loki held up a hand. "Do not even consider trying to wipe away all those years of hatred and pain with one word." He saw the look on Thor's face, grief, remorse, and balled his hands into fists, resisting with all he had in him any emotion akin to care or concern. "You had everything, Father's favor, your colleague's respect, you were heir to the throne. What was it in you, What did you see in my relationship with Eidra that compelled you to take such drastic measures? To rob her of her life?"

"Love!" Thor roared as he grabbed Loki by the shoulders, "It has always been a thing just outside my reach. I was expected to be the strong one, the heir. Mother was chastised for the least bit of comfort she showed me. Father wanted a man on the throne, he said such coddling would weaken me."

He let Loki go and sank to the ground, his back to the trunk of a large tree, "But you, mother doted on you because she could. Many were the nights I would stand in the corridor peeking into your bedchamber and see mother sitting on the bed talking to you, reading to you, laughing, and I would want to join but did not dare for fear of father finding me there."

Loki slumped down to share the tree trunk, bending his knees up and resting his elbows on them. "You have Sif. The fairest woman in all of Asgard, though I would challenge that claim with Eidra."

Thor shook his head, "Though she be beautiful, she is cold, brother. Our marriage is one of convenience. She is of strong stock, able to produce healthy children, heirs."

"I heard of the birth of your son, My congratulations to you."

Thor gave a nod, "But that is all. She is vain, aloof."

Loki glanced sidelong at him, "So it was a perfect match then?"

"No, she is far worse. She prefers a separate bed. When we couple, it is as if she does what she must. She has never spoken in love to me but she wishes me not to find it elsewhere. If she finds me too familiar, too attentive to another woman, she is quick to put an end to it."

Loki closed his eyes, "So in recompense you sought to deprive me of what you did not have?"

"Yes," Thor's voice cracked, "When I saw the tenderness, the desire, the love between the two of you, I was jealous, but more than that, I saw my brother's attention being drawn away from me and when his love was all I had ever been able to count upon, I could not accept it."

Loki looked over at Thor, saw his cheeks were wet with tears, "I do not expect you to forgive me. I only want you to listen to me. To let me say I am sorry and know that I mean it."

They sat there in silence for a bit longer then Loki stood up, Thor following suit. "You did not come here to talk of the past. What urgent matter brought you to my house?"

Thor stared at the ground, "It is father. He is ill, failing. He gets weaker every day. He no longer rises from the bed save to relieve himself. He even holds court in his chambers when he has need to since he is still part of the High Council. He has been talking about you as of late. He wishes to see you and your family, as does mother."

Loki was taken aback, "What are you saying?"

"Come to the palace. You and the family. Come and stay a bit. Make what may be his last days happy ones."

Loki was shaking his head already, "No, to put my whole family in danger? I cannot."

Thor laughed at this, "Danger, what would make you believe there is cause for such concern?"

Loki started back towards the house. "Because I cannot trust you."

Thor grabbed him by the arm, stopping him in his tracks. "You have my word that I speak the truth. No harm will come to you in the palace, nor in the whole of Asgard. Come see father before it is too late."

Loki stood there, confused. He had not seen mother since that day he left on his so-called pilgrimage. Likely it was she who truly wished to see him. But he shuddered at the thought of bringing his family inside the palace where there was the very real potential that they would never be allowed to leave again.

"Give me two days to discuss this with my family. Return on the morrow of the third day and you will then know if we will accompany you back to Asgard."

Thor broke into a wide grin. "I will be here at dawn, brother. "

"Then you will have to watch me milk the cows."

Thor clapped him on the back, "Then I shall watch."

The family was outside when they returned to the cottage. One of the royal guards had let Fen try on his helmet and Fen was parading around the dooryard proudly. Loki lifted the helmet from his head, handing it to the guard who bowed and took it from him. Then he stood with his hand on Fen's shoulder as Thor and the guards mounted their horses. Then with a bow and a nod, they headed off in the direction they had come from, towards Asgard.

As soon as they were out of sight, Fen was clamoring at him with a hundred questions. "Papa, that was the King, what did he want to talk about? What did he say? He called you brother, is he your brother? Does it make you a prince?"

Loki looked to Eidra, "I must have time to think." he steered Fen into Eidra's open arms. "About what? Tell me what he wanted ."

Loki shook his head, "I shall lell you all later. Right now I must ride."

He was off to unhitch the horse before she could protest.

How what in the world was that?" Helgi muttered. Eidra shrugged, "I do not know, he will tell me when he is ready."


	3. Chapter 3

"Well lad, you've quite a dilemma." Chris pushed himself up further on his bed, grimacing as he did so. "Damnable legs, it's the gout. And my back, 'tis killing me."

Loki readjusted the pillows for Chris as he leaned forward. He lay back then and smiled.

"Thankee, my boy."

Loki sat back down on the edge of the bed.

"Now then, you say you are reluctant to bring your family to Asgard because you fear things aren't what they seem."

"I do,"

Chris held up his fingers, ticking them down, "And on the other hand, you miss home, you would like to visit your mum and you want her to see the grandbabies."

Loki nodded, "But I do not want to stay at the palace. This is my life now, my home with Eidra and the children. Helgi, you and Sally."

Chris stroked his chin, "What if everything Thor said was the truth? Did you ever entertain that possibility?"

Loki didn't answer and Chris nodded, "I thought as much. If it were me, though it isn't, I would say that if you do not go and something does indeed happen to your father, God forbid, you shall regret not having gone when you had the chance."

He had taken to caring for Chris's small plot of land each day, helping Sally with chores or at the very least sending Brenna down often to assist as Chris grew less able to do so. "If we are gone more than a few days, who will be here to help you and Sally?"

Chris smiled, "We can handle the place for a few days, methinks you try to make excuses not to go."

He sat forward, leaning on his knees and Chris put his hand on his thigh, "Tell me boy, it isn't a sin, is it fear that is holding your decision?"

He clapped his hands together but didn't raise his head to look at Chris, "It is fear for the safety of my family. Before I met Eidra, I never knew what if was like to be willing to die for someone, with children that will increases a thousandfold. I only want them to be safe."

"Ah my boy, what does your instinct tell you?"

"That is just it. My judgment is clouded. I wish to see Mother, and I miss the palace. It was my home, after all."

"Then, go, my friend. We will manage here. Simply put, take care and be prepared."

When he arrived home for the evening meal, he was aware of the tension in the house as everyone waited for him to announce what business he'd had with the King but he went about the evening's activity with nary a suggestion. Brenna sat eying him half the night, finally heaving a loud sigh, putting down her knitting and standing up. "I am going to bed," She bent over and kissed Eidra and Helgi on the cheek, turning to Loki, "I tire of waiting." She leaned over again and kissed him on the cheek. "Goodnight, Father."

Fen had lined up his animals on the table and now he kept as quiet as he could but it was no use. "Fen, I think it is time you retired as well." Loki called to him.

"Papa I am not tired."

"Regardless of that, you still needs must get to bed. Now pick up your animals and put them away."

"But, Papa.."

Loki craned his head around the back of his chair and stared at Fen, "Now, child."

"Yes, Papa." Fen groused, pulling the box where he kept his menagerie in to him and setting them inside.

When he had finished, doled out his good-nights and was in his room. Loki turned to Eidra and Helgi who sat looking at him. He smiled slyly, almost considering letting them wait a bit longer but in the end he stopped braiding the rope he was making and sat his hands in his lap. "Thor has told me the Allfather is ill. He is failing. Thor claims he has been asking to see me, to see my family. I suspect is it Mother who wishes to see us but you well know why. He has invited us to the palace."

Loki saw Eidra's reaction before she voiced it, saw the panic in her face, "All of us? Brenna and the baby?"

He shook his head, "Fen is no longer the baby, Eidra. The baby lies in your belly."

She shot him a look that would have seemed at home on a lioness, "He is still my baby, he is the youngest as of now."

"Alright, I concede. Just do not call him that in public, the poor boy. Yes, all of us."

Helgi kept knitting but nodded, "It would be good to visit with Artra and Volsa again."

"I do not trust Thor," Eidra stared into the low fire, "What if he is simply trying to trick us? What if he wishes to imprison you again?"

"He could have done so without asking me to come for a visit. It pains me to say it, but I believe I trust Thor in his request."

Eidra began to knit again, her stitches fast, her face set, "When does he wish us to go?"

"Two days hence. I told him to return on the dawn of the day after the morrow and if we were going, we would be ready then."

"It may not be a quick journey," Eidra looked down at her swollen belly, "I will not ride at a fast pace and jeopardize the baby."

"We will take the wagon. I will set you up with a spot as comfortable as our own bed. Helgi will drive the wagon and Fen will ride with you. I will take Blackberry and I am sure Brenna will insist on riding Lightning."

Helgi put her knitting in her lap, "Then I suppose it will be packing day on the morrow. I hope I might get this shawl finished. It is still cool at night."

"We will be able to attend Walpurgis as well. Brenna and Fen will be able to see the bonfires. Perhaps I might join the hunt since they will be the last of the season."

Eidra said nothing and Loki reached over to rub her forearm, "My sweet minx, try to look at it as an adventure. I will let nothing harm our family," He reached further to caress the curve of her stomach, sending chills up her spine as she lay her hand atop his. "I know, my love but still I must worry. There is nothing for it."

He smiled gently, recalling for her one of the thousand reasons she loved him, "My beautiful prince."

He shook his head and squeezed her hand. He had chided her once for calling him a prince, telling her that he was no longer titled but she had scolded him in return, saying he was still of royal blood and she had fallen in love with him when he was a prince so in her eyes, he was still of regal bearing. She would not give up her pet name for him.

"I am going to retire if we have a big day ahead of us on the morrow." Helgi groaned as she stood from her chair. "Good night, my dears."

They nodded, "Good night, Helgi."

They sat quiet for a while, watching the fire die down until Loki got up and banked it, then took her hand and led her to their bedchambers. Their lovemaking that night was slow, exquisite. He whispered in her ear that he had need to worship her, to be thankful for her love, her affection, musing that he felt himself luckier than the whole kingdom, nay, the whole nine realms that she had chosen him for her mate, his release that night moving him to tears as he hovered above her, sliding to her side to pull her into an embrace they did not break until the room began to brighten with the dawn.

Brenna had heard Fen and her father get up that morning to do chores and so she rose to do hers. She stoked the fire, adding fresh wood until she had a decent blaze going that brought the sweat to her brow as she squatted before it. The morning had dawned unseasonably warm. Next she roused Helgi to help her with the morning meal and as they worked, they chatted about little things, her fifteenth birthday coming in autumn, what they would have for evening meal, but if she expected Helgi to divulge what they had spoken about that evening past after she'd retired for the evening she was sorely disappointed. Helgi avoided the subject altogether and soon enough the door was swinging wide as Fen walked in with a basket of eggs and a feather stuck in his hair, followed by Loki with the milk pail which he sat upon the table where Brenna sat cutting potatoes. Fen handed the eggs to Helgi and ran to Eidra who had appeared in the bedroom doorway, tying her hair back.

Brenna was watching Fen trying to wrap his arms around their mother's waist and so the tap on her shoulder startled her. Loki gestured to her, "Come with me."

"But I am helping Helgi."

"Your mother shall take over. Come on."

Brenna glanced at Eidra who tilted her head towards the door so Brenna followed her father, starting as she say him take his crossbow from where it hung by the front door. The last sight she saw before the door closed behind her was her mother smiling at her.

The block of wood with the X carved on it didn't even move. She let the crossbow swing down to her side and stamped her foot in frustration.

"Where were your sights?"

"On the X." And she stamped her foot again.

"Where they were not supposed to be." Loki sat on the forest floor, cross-legged, leaning against a tree trunk. "You must remember to take into consideration the recoil. Reload as I showed you and this time aim a bit lower."

Her arms ached with the effort required to set the trigger, taking both hands to do it, nearly rocking herself off her feet as her foot slipped out of the stirrup at first, but she finally had it set up and a bolt in the chamber. She hauled the crossbow up, set the stock at her shoulder and aimed the unwieldy weapon below the X, grumbling to herself that it would be easier were the weapon not half her size. She took a deep breath in, let it out slowly and pulled the trigger, watching the white ended bolt sail once again over the block of wood. She dropped the crossbow in disgust.

"I cannot do this!" Tears of frustration glittered in her eyes. She would not look at her father but heard him.

"And that is why I brought the white-tipped bolts. Pick up that crossbow and do not let me see you treat it so poorly again. It has put food in your belly many times over and it deserves your respect."

His voice was calm but she could hear the warning in it. As she was bending to pick it up, she heard the leaves on the forest floor rustling as her father stood and she fully expected him to take the crossbow from her, telling her the lesson was ended. However, he scanned the forest until he found what he was looking for. He waved her along with him, picking up the block of wood as he passed it.

A couple yards distant he pointed to a fallen log. "Stay here."

He kept walking until he found a tree split into a V at its roots. He wedged the block into the space and returned to where Brenna stood waiting, took the crossbow from her and lay on the ground, bracing it atop the fallen log. As she watched him sight along the barrel, her mind wandered to a scene the other day of her mother taking a few strands of the hair at his temples and teasing him, he giving her a playful shove. As she looked closer, she could indeed see the threads of silver starting to show in his hair, a few but still there.

"Father."

"Mmhmm."

She scuffed the leaves at her feet, "How old are you?"

He shifted position, sighted again, "Old."

"How old?"

She could almost see his mind working, watched his jaw clench, "Older than you."

"What about Mama, how old is she?"

"She is younger than me."

"That is not much of an answer. How many seasons?"

He pushed himself up to his hands and knees, then stood. "Enough questions? Take the crossbow and assume the same position you saw me in. Brace the barrel on the tree. Aim below the X as before." She stretched out behind the tree, bracing the barrel of the crossbow but trying to position her hands to maximize stability. She didn't feel the unsteadiness she had when she was standing upright, though, she felt more in control. She took aim just below the X, took a deep breath, let it out and pulled the trigger. The bolt caught the chunk of wood at the very upper edge, flipping it backwards but not quite unseating it. She grinned and glanced up at Loki who was standing there nodding. He looked down and returned the smile. "Much better. This is a big crossbow. I will see about getting you a smaller one made. Let us try it again."

By midday, she had hit the X four times, not dead center but at least in the wood. At the last shot. Loki gave her his hand and pulled her up from the ground. "Let us start back before your mother thinks we shot ourselves dead."

As they walked through the trees towards the path home, Loki surveyed the surrounding forest, the sunlight dappling the ground, the warm breeze rushing through the tree tops. "It turned out to be a beautiful day. Tell me, was this worth missing the morning meal for?"

"Yes father, thank you."

Loki nodded, "You are entirely welcome. You will improve with practice though you must remember, your prey will not accommodate you by running directly into your path and standing as the block of wood. You must learn to track and shoot. Once you have the right size bow, it will be easier."

He could see the cottage through the trees in the distance, he glanced at Brenna, "We are going on a trip on the morrow."

She mis-stepped and stumbled but regained her footing, "A trip where?"

"To the Palace."

She stopped walking, "To the Palace? Truly? Why?"

He kept going, "Because, your grandparents wish to meet you and your brother."

When she had lived in the Palace with Helgi, Odin and Frigga were the King and Queen. They were to be revered and honored. When she had finally learned Loki was her father, she contemplated that all along, they had been her grandparents and she did not know them. Helgi was more of a grandmother than Frigga, not that it was her fault, she hadn't known Brenna existed then, still the prospect of addressing the King and Queen as grandfather and grandmother terrified and thrilled her all at once.

"Is that what the King was here to ask? For us to come to the Palace?" She trotted to catch up with him.

"Yes, and I have decided to accept his invitation. Sally and Ren have agreed to take care of our animals for a couple of days."

They were almost to the cottage, "Do you think I made the right decision?"

Brenna stopped again, "I do not know, do you wish to return to the Palace?"

He looked at the cottage, then at her. "The Palace holds many bad memories for me, as well as many good ones. We will have to judge by our experiences whether I was right or wrong." He began to walk again. "Now let us go help pack. We will likely be accused of shirking our responsibilities."


	4. Chapter 4

Eidra felt Loki stir, stretch and drape his arm over her. "Is it that time already?"

She felt him nod against her back. "Mmmhmm, I must have the chores done before we leave. I told Sally that she would not have need to come over until evening." He threw the covers back and swung his feet out and over the floor, grabbed his breeches from the chair beside the bed and drew them on. She rolled over to curve herself around him. "Are you nervous?"

He pulled his boots from beneath the bed. "Are you?"

"Yes."

He leaned over and kissed her cheek, "Do not be, we will be safe."

He stood with his tunic in hand, "I will do the milking and then I will start to prepare the wagon."

As he walked out of the bedroom, she sighed. "I guess that is my cue."

When he returned to the cottage with the milk pail, the house was a flurry of activity. Fen in particular was out of control and Brenna more than once yelled at him to run around outside so Loki caught him, hauled him up over his shoulder while he laughed and kicked, and took him outside to help prepare the wagon.

He hefted the bales of hay up onto the wagon bed and Fen bodily shoved them wherever Loki told him to.

"You are a bit overexcited, boy." Loki hauled another bale up, watching as Fen scrambled to pull it backwards.

"I am sooo excited, Papa. I have never seen the palace up close. I have never been to the city. I cannot help it!" He grabbed the next bale and shoved it into place. "The King is my uncle, right?"

Loki nodded, "He is."

"So if you are his brother, you are a prince too, right?"

Loki stopped. Should he try to explain abdication to a seven season old little boy? Fen stood there waiting for the next bale and his words.

"I renounced my title but I suppose that I am still of royal blood." He refused to tell him that the blood of his royal family ran through the veins of Asgard's hated enemies. He had been terrified when Brenna and Fen had been born. He feared above all else that they would be born Jotun.

"So then that would make me a prince too, right Papa?" He pulled the last bale into place and waited for the blankets Loki was handing up to him.

"Spread them over the bales, double them up so that the hay does not poke through."

Fen did as he was told but would not let his question rest, "So am I a prince, Papa?"

"For all intents and purposes, yes, but..."

"So that means Brenna is a princess?"

"Fen, enough talk of such matters. Pay attention to your work." He handed Fen another blanket.

"Does Brenna know she is a princess? Can I tell her?"

"Fen."

Fen heard the warning tone in his father's voice. "Sorry, Papa."

Loki shook his head, "Do not be sorry for the questions, be sorry that you ask the same ones repeatedly. Now come on or we shall get nothing for the morning meal." Fen jumped into Loki's arms and hugged his around the neck before he set him down and Fen was off on a dead run into the house.

"Where does that boy find the energy?" He muttered, following behind him.

The women had already eaten and were now packing a small trunk. Fen and Loki sat at the table with their bowls of porridge. Loki took a handful of dried raspberries and sprinkled them over the surface. Fen held his bowl out to Loki and he obliged him with another handful. Helgi sat down before the fireplace to slip on her shoes but was soon interrupted. "Helgi, will you braid my hair for me?" Brenna made to sit on the floor before her but Helgi shouted, "Wait! You have a clean dress on, drag that stool over here."

Brenna looked down at herself. She had on her best dress, a long sleeved dark blue affair with a white velvet bodice that she thought suited her newly sprung cleavage nicely. She lifted her skirt daintily and sat on the stool before Helgi as she began to braid Brenna's long dark hair.

Loki was aware that his daughter was as beautiful as her mother. Eidra had noticed too and on that note, she had brought up the subject of ritual deflowering one evening as they lay in bed. Loki had been adamant in his refusal, saying that the man Brenna found to marry would be the one to make her a woman. He would not allow a stranger to touch his daughter for the express purpose of taking her virginity. There had been some heated words at the time, he had asked her how scared she had been of him and she had told him that if he hadn't been such a brute she wouldn't have been afraid. The discussion had ended with him cradling her in his arms, drying her tears, but he remained steadfast. There would be no ritual deflowering, she may have the Uruz as a bride present but the rest was out of the question.

Eidra sailed out of the bedroom in a velvet green dress with a darker green bodice, her hair pulled back from her face and off her neck. She stopped at the table and gave Loki a kiss, waking his desire as he felt himself throb at the touch of her hand on his neck. "You are a vision, my love."

He looked down at himself. He would have to change from his barn clothes. He fervently wished he had something more to wear than the breeches and tunic hanging in the wardrobe. He would rather be presented to mother and the Allfather in court dress. Perhaps he would ask Thor if he could be properly attired when they arrived at Asgard.

As he was coming out of the bedroom, he heard Fen shout, "The King is here!"

Fen shot to the door and flung it open. "Your Majesty!"

Loki sighed, at least he'd remembered his manners.

Thor strode into the cottage and bowed to the women, then turned to Loki as a smile stole to his lips. "It looks as if you are preparing for a trip. Am I correct to assume that we will be sharing the same path?"

Loki raised his eyebrows as he tried to force the smile that threatened to steal to his face and at once Thor was upon him, picking him up in a great bear hug.

"I knew you would come! We will have a feast tomorrow night and the bonfires."

He held him out at arms length, "We will get you properly attired when you reach the palace," His gaze swung the rest of them. "You want to look your best when you meet your grandparents."

"This is my best." Eidra muttered as she adjusted her dress.

Brenna stepped forward and curtsied to Thor. "Would your majesty care to share our morning meal?"

Thor shook his head, "Nay, Milady, we have already eaten this morning though I thank you for the offer." He bowed, "How soon may we be off?"

Loki took his cloak off the peg by the door, "Not long, I have to saddle Blackberry."

"Blackberry?" He could hear the mirth in Thor's question and Brenna's subsequent giggle.

"Yes Blackberry, blame Brenna." He motioned to Thor, "Leave the women to finish. Come with me."

Brenna watched her father walk out the front door followed by Thor who, if she had to put a label to it, looked to be fairly bursting with joy as he clapped her father on the back and closed the door behind him.

Every few minutes, Loki would ride alongside the wagon to check on Eidra. "Are you comfortable, darling?"

She would wave him away, "Loki, I am fine. Do not fret so."

He pointed his riding crop at her upon one occasion, "I shall fret if I like, you would have a better chance asking the wind to stop blowing or the rain to fall upwards." He had tapped her lightly on the head with the crop and she had laughed, "Very well. But I am fine. Pester your brother."

Loki had given her a petulant look but he had trotted ahead to fall in step with Thor.

Fen had been fidgeting, having grown bored with his wooden animals and games of count the cows and "What am I" as they passed the houses and farms along the road, so he stood up and leaned over the drivers bench between Helgi and Brenna to watch the road ahead. Finally he poked Brenna, making her drop the reins temporarily. She scooped them back up and swatted at him, "Stop it, you little worm!"

He hopped further up so his legs were dangling at the back of the seat over the wagon bed and Eidra called to him, "Fen, plant your feet on the wagon." He slid back down but stayed where he was and after another couple minutes, tugged at Brenna's sleeve. "Papa told me I am a prince so I do not have to listen to you."

Brenna saw Helgi's head come around as if it were on a swivel but she said nothing, simply eyed Fen who took no notice of her.

"I am sure what father said was that you were a royal brat."

He poked her again ducking another swat. "I asked him if he was a prince and did that mean that I was and he said yes and then I asked if it meant you were a princess and he said yes."

"Fen!" Helgi cried, "That is quite enough of your storytelling." She craned her neck around and looked at Eidra who was reaching to pull Fen from between them.

"But Papa said it was true, I swear!" he held tight to the bench as Eidra wrapped her arm around his waist to pull him back onto the bale of hay where she was sitting.

"What did I say that was true, may I ask?"

Eidra shot Loki a glare that took him by surprise, "Fen was telling Brenna about your conversation this morning."

Loki tried to feign ignorance but he knew he would likely be in trouble, "About the trip to the city?"

Eidra's expression didn't change, nor did the glare and he ran a hand through his hair, "The boy asks so many questions."

"The father should give the correct answers." Eidra grumbled.

At once he felt on the defensive, "The father did."

"To someone too young to ken the meaning."

Loki returned her stare, clucked to Blackberry and soon was back beside Thor.

Fen crawled into her lap, what was left after the baby's share, and started to play with a strand of her hair. She knew this was his way of saying he was ready for a nap and she began to rock him. "Oh you little calf, you are getting too big for this." In answer he cuddled ever closer and she put him up over her shoulder, grimacing at the ache in her back but starting to rock him.

"Mama?"

"Yes?"

"Did Papa tell the truth? Am I a prince?" He whispered in her ear.

She cast a glance to Helgi and Brenna who had their backs to her and nodded, "Yes, Fen, he was telling the truth but what is a title without a kingdom. It is just a word then. Close your eyes and rest and before you know it, we will be there."

Brenna didn't turn around though she was listening to her mother's conversation. She looked at her father and Thor up ahead of the wagon, their heads bent together in conversation. It made sense really. If he was a prince, whether he lived in the castle or in the village of Rialo, he was still the same person...and as the daughter of a prince, she was a princess. She sat up straighter in the seat as her mother watched her from the wagon, concern written clearly on her face.

Helgi had nodded off leaning against Brenna but was startled awake when Brenna shook her and pointed in the distance at the spires rising above the horizon. "Look Helgi, Asgard." She craned around behind her but Eidra had moved to the bed of the wagon and laid down on the blankets with Fen to rest.

"Mama, look." Brenna said. "We can see the city."

Eidra pushed herself up on one elbow then to her knees, finally hauling herself up with the driver's bench just in time to see Loki galloping back towards them to stop by the wagon with a smile.

"Not far now, we should make the palace by midday."

She had sat down on the bales again watching the city grow closer with a mixture of fear and joy; like Loki she'd had the most wonderful and terrible moments of her life happen behind those same walls. She felt his hand caress the back of her head and she turned as he leaned over from the horse and gave her a kiss. "Soon my love. Has Fen seen the city yet?"

"No, he was down for a nap. All this excitement tired him out. Do you wish me to wake him?"

Loki shrugged but she knew he wanted to share the vista with his son so she nudged Fen who jumped at the touch of her toe. "Fen, come, wake up. Papa wishes to show you something."

Fen slowly stretched, then got to his hands and knees, pulling himself up onto the bale of hay where his mother sat. Loki held out his hands, "Come get on the horse with me."

Fen stood on the bale as Eidra gasped, wrapping her arm around his legs, "Loki be careful!"

He swung Fen over from the wagon to the horse where he sat in front of him, "We will be back."

As they started towards the front of the group, Loki tapped him on the shoulder and pointed ahead of them. "Do you see what I see?"

Fen peered with eyes not yet quite adjusted from his nap but then they opened wide. "Is that the palace?"

"Yes, the largest spires in the sky, they are the palace."

"How long until we get there?"

They were even with Thor now, "Very soon. Are you excited?"

Fen turned to Thor, "Yes, your Majesty."

Thor nodded, "As well you should be. Rialo is nothing akin to Asgard proper. It is magnificent."

Loki bristled slightly at Thor's rebuff of their home but tried to take it into context as merely fact. Asgard was much bigger, far grander than their little village. He wrapped his arm around Fen's shoulders and hugged him, "And you shall see, my son. Soon."

When the gates leading into the main courtyard began to swing open, Fen was practically standing on the bench between Helgi and Brenna while they put their arms up to prevent him from falling off the front of the wagon between the horses. "Look at it, Mama! The gates are huge!"

"Yes Fen, please sit down on the bench, you give me fits."

As the wagon stopped in front of the inner palace doors, Fen jumped down from the back of the wagon before Eidra could catch him and was running to where Loki had just dismounted Blackberry and was handing her to a waiting servant. Fen slammed into his legs, nearly knocking him off his feet. "Papa everything is so big!" Loki smiled and squatted down before him. "Wait until you see the inside."

Loki made the back of the wagon as Eidra was starting to step down. He offered his hand to steady her until she stepped to the ground. She adjusted her dress and cloak, rubbed her hand protectively over the swell of her belly and took Loki's extended arm as he guided her to the steps where Helgi, Brenna and Fen now stood, Fen running in circles, trying to take everything in.

Thor had joined them by the time Loki reached the steps into the palace, "Loki, your bedchamber is ever yours. Go freshen up, change. Milady, I will send a servant with dresses for you to choose from." He turned to the children, "Milord and lady, you will accompany my manservant to the royal nursery where you may change into more suitable court dress. You will meet your cousin, Lóriði."

Eidra gripped Loki's arm hard but he patted her hand, reassuringly as Thor turned back to them, "I will fetch you soon and we will present the family to Mother and Father."

As Thor strode through the doors of the palace with his manservant and the children in tow, Eidra fought a maddening urge to run after them until Loki took her hand, "Let us revisit our old bedchamber shall we?" She gave a quick nod, "Lead the way."

The doors creaked open as they slowly walked into the bedchamber that had seen the beginning of their relationship. Memories flooded them, both good and bad as they gazed about the room. Eidra felt a little sad at seeing the cold hearth though the day was warm with no need of a fire. Their chairs were still before the fireplace and she thought she might ask if they could take them back to Rialo when they returned home. Loki let his hand slip from hers and went to sit on the bed. Eidra came and stood before him where he put his hands on either side of her belly and kissed it, lingering there as she stroked his hair. "So many nights we spent here together in the throes of passion, playing games, talking, it is painful to recall."

She felt him nod against her, "Have I told you how very dear you are to me?"

She smiled down at him, "All the time, my love."

He returned the smile, "Good, so long as you never forget."

She stepped back as he stood up and strode to the large wardrobe and opened it, the sight of his old garments tightening his throat. He had always enjoyed being well dressed for the court. He sighed, supposed there was a shred of vanity left in him. He turned back to Eidra with a sly smile and held out his arms, "Woman, undress me. I wish to wear the court dress today." She put her hands on her hips and tilted her head.

"Do you now? Well Milord I live to serve." She gave his bottom a resounding smack as she passed him on her way to the wardrobe. As she reached up to take down the garments from the hooks at the back of the wardrobe, she felt his hands come around from behind her and cup her breasts as he rubbed himself against her. She braced herself against the back wall of the wardrobe to prevent herself from dropping to the floor. "Loki" She scolded him, "You know how I get when I am with child."

He chuckled as his lips found that spot at the back of her neck and she groaned aloud, pushing back at him, "I do know how you get, my little minx. And you know how I get."

They stayed in that embrace, rubbing against each other, exchanging kisses over her shoulder, his fingers teasing her nipples through the fabric of her bodice until they were breathless and she untangled herself from his embrace. "We do not know how long Thor will be. Get changed, you dog."

He laughed, bumped against her once more and there was a knock at the door as a servant girl walked in with an armful of dresses.

Eidra broke away from him, punching him in the arm as he kept grasping at her. She took the dresses from the servant who bowed deeply, looked to Loki and covered her eyes immediately as she realized he was getting undressed.

"Come over to the bed and help me with the dresses would you?" Eidra said as she steered the girl away, "Loki tends to forget himself." She looked over her shoulder at her husband and shook her head. "Now help me put on the green one, it looks lovely but the baby will determine that."

Brenna and Fen kept close together, his previous enthusiasm having worn away to trepidation as the manservant, a large black man dressed in gold trimmed robes, whom they found was named, Aoleus, opened the doors to the royal nursery and waved them in.

The scene that greeted them was every child's dream. A nursemaid, a heavy-set but healthy woman with long blond hair, rocked a small baby in her arms. She nodded to Brenna and Fen. "Milord and lady. I sent for the court dresser. He will fit you to some proper court dress. I am Bruna and this is the crown prince, Lóriði." She nodded to the baby in her arms.

Fen was listening but not entirely paying attention. There were rocking horses, toy swords and shields hung on the walls, a whole army of soldiers dressed as royal guards, leather covered balls, carved animals like the ones Chris had done for him but far more elaborate. He stood there, mouth open in wonder.

Brenna, though she'd spent the first six seasons of her life in the palace, had never been to the royal nursery. She had put her little rag dolls and the house she'd built from spare wood, away long ago but she couldn't help being drawn to a replica doll house of the palace interior complete with furnished rooms and a small wooden family, noting that the carver had gone to painstaking lengths to make them look like Odin and Frigga, Thor and her father. She held his figure in her hands, studying it until she heard Bruna's voice in her ear. "Come the court dresser is here, we shall pick you out a nice dress." Brenna whirled around, nearly bumping into Bruna who had put the sleeping prince in his bassinet.

"Forgive me, I was only looking.."

Bruna laughed, "And welcome you are to do so. But first we must get you ready to see your grandparents. Come Milady."

She led Brenna into a small bedchamber off of the main nursery, Brenna looking behind her at Fen who was playing on the floor with the army, the court dresser standing patiently over him, wondering if she should be separated from him, father had worried so about such things, but then the door was closing and Bruna was helping her unbutton her dress down the back. "What is your favorite color, my dear?"

"Blue, it is my mother's favorite color as well."

Brenna stepped from her dress, holding her arms across her breasts self consciously as another was slipped over her head. As she slipped her arms through the sleeves of the dress, she heard Fen outside in the nursery, "Oh I hate to change, what is the matter with my clothes?" and she giggled.

"The young prince is of a strong opinion is he not?" Bruna remarked as she tied the sash of the long dress behind Brenna's back. The young prince, Brenna thought, so it is true.

"He is a brat. You say it much too nicely." She turned to where Bruna steered her to a long polished metal mirror. The tight bodice and narrow sleeves accentuated her slim waist as the hem floated just above the floor. The color was an indigo blue which seemed to define the darker blue specks in her eyes. "I love this one." She turned around, watched the skirt flare in a graceful swirl about her legs. "I would like to wear it."

Bruna nodded, "Let us try on a couple more just in case you change your mind."

They tried on another three in fact, but in the end she walked out of the bedchamber wearing the blue dress. Fen pointed and laughed at her, "You look silly."

Brenna put her hands on her hips. "I look beautiful." She eyed his outfit, tailored breeches, a dark green tunic tucked in, a long over vest, and a dark leather great coat in his size with boots to match. "And you look like you are playing dress up." He stuck his tongue out at her but in truth they were pleased with their choices. A knock on the door to the nursery brought them both to look as the door swung open. In walked Eidra in a dark green long gown, similar in style to Brenna's but made of shimmering sateen with gold chased threads running through it and a high bodice. She had pulled back her hair and put it in a chignon. Brenna had always thought her mother the most beautiful woman in the nine realms but right in this moment, Brenna wondered how her father had been so lucky to capture her when he had. She looked magical.

And then Brenna saw her father come around behind her mother. He had been transformed. Gone was the peasant farmer with the long pony tail and the patched tunic come fresh from the fields. She supposed her mother had pulled his hair back from his face and tied it out of the way, adding a long braid and fell down his shoulder tied with a leather thong. His court dress, fit breeches, a similar under tunic like Fen's but the vest was dark green leather with tooled snakes upon each lapel. He wore dark bronze richly ornamented vambraces and pauldrons that made him look fierce, warlike. His dark brown boots came halfway up his calves. He had brought his short sword along on the trip and it now rested in its scabbard at his waist. He looked so very handsome. Together with mother, Brenna thought, they looked regal as if they themselves were king and queen. Loki smiled at her and held out his hand, "Come, children, it is time."


	5. Chapter 5

Fen had nearly to run to keep up with his father's and uncle's long strides, he would fall behind every few steps as he tried to take in the polished marble walls, the big torches on the wall. The secrets hiding behind each door they passed. The people that would nod and stare at them. He would be pushed along by his mother or sister if he stopped too long.

All at once, they halted before a set of large doors at the end of a corridor. "Stay here, let me see if mother and father are ready." Thor held his hand up, opened the doors which creaked loudly, and slipped inside the room.

Fen had been eager to reach Asgard, excited to see the city but now, waiting to see Odin and Frigga, the thought of what lie behind that door, was beginning to overwhelm him. He walked up to Loki and buried his face against Loki's waist.

"Fen, turn around, we shall be going inside in a moment." He could hear Thor's footsteps as he returned to the door on the other side. Fen, however, was now thoroughly frightened and he held up his arms to Loki who looked over to Eidra, puzzled. "Fen, whatever is wrong? You are a big boy."

Fen shook his head, "I am scared."

Loki bent over and hefted Fen up to his waist where Fen wrapped his arms around Loki's neck, legs around his stomach and pressed his face to Loki's neck. Eidra came to stand beside them and rubbed Fen's back. "My little lamb, it will be alright."

Fen peaked from under Loki's chin but said nothing only clung tighter to him as he heard the door open. Brenna, standing beside her mother, envied Fen. She couldn't exactly do the same, she was supposed to be the strongest, being the oldest but her heart was pounding as well. She took her mother's hand and was surprised to feel her trembling. She looked up at her mother's face and Eidra returned her gaze with a nervous smile when suddenly Thor was ushering them in.

"Father was dozing when I went in first." Thor said to Loki as they passed through the door.

Brenna had never seen the inner chambers of the family save her father's when she had lived here. She was too young to wander about the palace alone. Before them sat a massive bed, much like her father's but carved in a lighter wood, the symbol she recalled seeing on the shields of the royal guards when they had arrived. It had been simply a pretty drawing to her long ago but she had prodded Helgi earlier and asked her what it was. "It is Odin's symbol, Valknut, it means death in battle. The highest honor for a warrior, for that path leads to Valhalla."

The headboard held a massive Valknut, three interlocked triangles carved deep as if the woodworker feared that it would someday be worn away. Torches burned around the room, illuminating a massive wardrobe, larger than her father's, a great writing desk beside a cabinet whose doors were cracked open. She could see the thousands of papers, parchments, ink wells inside used for writing decrees and edicts, letters. The portico drapes were half drawn and the room felt overly warm, a fire burning in the massive fireplace to the right of the bed. Where the queen mother sat by the side of the bed in a high backed chair, a stand with a small candelabra and a closed book atop it, to her left.

Brenna could remember meeting her only vaguely of course she had aged slightly. She stood up with a wide smile, her arms thrown open, hands gesturing them closer. She glanced up at her father in whose eyes glittered tears. He hugged Fen closer and whispered something in his ear she couldn't hear. Fen's head came up from her father's shoulder and craned around to look behind them.

"Loki, my dear child." Queen Frigga breathed, "Has it been so long?"

"Yes mother. Forgive me." He bowed as well as he could with Fen upon him. "And forgive Fenris, he is playing shy today."

Loki managed to pry Fen from him and finally, Fen was standing before Frigga, looking down at the floor, his hands behind his back. Loki nudged him forward, he leaning against his father's hand in protest. He didn't know this woman, she was dressed like an important lady and it frightened him but then the lady was kneeling before him on the floor and he was looking into her kind face. She took his face in her hands, "Oh Loki, he looks just like you when you were his age. Such a handsome boy. You have no need to be afraid, dearest boy. I am your grandmother."

Fen's eyes slid up to hers and he gave a slight smile. "Yes, see, there is nothing to be afraid of, my little prince."

Loki winced but said nothing as Fen's head swiveled around to look up at him. Frigga stood from the floor and at once her arms were around Loki's neck in a fierce hug which he returned with greatest tenderness. "My son, my little lost lamb. It is so very good to see you." She stepped back and looked at his braid, brushed his hair back from his face. "Where has the time gone?"

He put a hand on her shoulder, "Mother, please might I introduce my eldest daughter, Brenna."

Loki held out his hand to her and she felt her mother let go of her own. "Come forward and greet your grandmother."

Brenna took her father's hand and curtsied low, "Your Majesty."

Frigga clapped her hands together, "My dear, you are so lovely. So grown up. How many seasons are you?"

"Nearly fifteen, your Majesty." she clasped her hands in front of her waist mostly for decorum, partly to keep them from flitting about nervously.

"Fifteen, you look older than that." She chuckled, "You will be happy of such things when you are my age."

Loki turned to Eidra and motioned her forward. Eidra had to force her feet to obey, her whole body shaking. She felt the baby give a kick as if to say, "Get on with it" and she took Loki's hand, he patting hers for reassurance. "This is my wife, Eidra, mother of my children."

Eidra curtsied, "Your Majesty."

Frigga smiled, "It is good to see you again, my dear. I see you will soon deliver your third child."

"Fourth, your Majesty, we had a son we named Silas but he was born too early and did not survive."

"My dear, I am so sorry." Frigga took her by the shoulders, "May this child be delivered safely."

Eidra nodded, "Thank you, your Majesty."

"Frigga." a voice issued from the bed, startling Fen enough to back him into his father's waist again.

Odin struggled to his elbow, Thor, who had been standing behind Loki and his family, moved forward to assist his father, helping him sit up, propping the pillows until he was able to sit back at the headboard. "Why did you not wake me to tell me they were here?"

Frigga sat at the side of the bed, "Because, dearest, you were so tired."

Odin waved Frigga's words aside and gestured to the children, his one eye fixing them so that they took each other's hand as they walked forward to stand by the bed.

"Tell me your names."

Brenna was surprised into momentary silence at his abrupt manner but managed to recover, "My name is Brenna and this is my brother, Fen, your Majesty."

"Come, boy, closer, my eyesight is not what it used to be." Brenna walked him to the bed and stood with him as he would not let go of her hand, holding it painfully tight as Odin took the boy's face and stared at him, "Strong stock, a weakness in the jawline. That must be built up."

"Odin, he is not a horse!" Frigga cried, pulling Fen from his grasp and hauling him up on her lap. "He is a little boy."

"And he must be also a man someday. A prince must be strong despite his forebears."

Loki clenched his hands, felt pat on the shoulder and turned to see Thor gesturing towards the bed as if to say "do you see now?"

Odin gestured now to Brenna a tad gentler. "A princess, a great boon to uniting kingdoms. Has your father any prospects of marriage for you yet?"

"I am only fourteen seasons, your Majesty." Brenna was taken aback by even the merest thought of marriage, though she had to confess to herself that she had been lovesick over Moran for the longest time now.

"Loki, you should start to search for a proper husband. I will see to it since you no longer choose to gravitate in such circles. Now, you." Odin's attention was now on Eidra, "Come here."

Loki could see Eidra's ire was rising but he kept silent.

Odin bade her turn around. "Another child on the way." He nodded. "I should title you. It would be more seemly were you to be a Lady as the mother of a prince and princess."

Eidra started to speak but Odin was clapping his hands and a guard appeared. Eidra was delighted to see it was Silas and he smiled briefly at her as he bowed to Odin. "Yes, your Majesty."

"Call for my scribe."

Silas bowed again and was gone.

"Now, it is high time that the young royals learned the ways of palace life. I will have rooms prepared for them."

"With all due respect, your Majesty, we have only come for a visit. The children must come home with us." Eidra curtsied again, "This is not their home."

Loki watched Odin's face harden, he may have become feeble in body but his mind seemed sharp as ever. "How are they to learn to behave like the royals they are in a village full of peasants?"

"They do not need to learn, if they desire a trade, so be it. We will provide them with the opportunity, but I will not leave them here alone to learn..." Loki watched Eidra's mind work out a polite reply, finding none, she pursed her lips together.

"Then you all will stay. The princess needs her mother as the prince needs the guidance of his father."

Loki sighed, this was what he had been afraid of. "We thank you for your gracious offer, father but we must decline, we have a home in Rialo, friends, animals we tend to. It is out of the question."

Brenna had been standing there, listening, her mind working. Learn the ways of a princess, return to the palace, her old home? It sounded much too good to be true. She would be able to join the in the royal court. She would have attendants, a room as grand as this.

"And you would have them live out their lives as simple farmers, laborers?" Odin muttered.

Loki nodded, "As their father did, yes."

"But was not born into!" Odin pointed at him, "You chose this life for yourself."

Loki could not help it, If he held the words inside of him, they would fester, rot like an open wound. "No Father, you chose it for me."

Eidra cast a pleading look at Thor, then at the children. Thankfully he had been of the same mind. "Children come with me, I will show you around the palace before the evening meal. They are building the bonfires for the morrow."

Brenna had wanted to stay and listen but was soon being herded from the room by her uncle's massive arms, Fen clutching her hand tightly. She turned her head to see her father gesturing towards Odin, she could not think of him as her grandfather, not yet but the door was soon closed behind them and she was standing with the King of Asgard alone in the hallway.

Frigga was scowling at Odin as he kept up his tirade, "Royal blood flows in your veins, the blood of a King. You would bury it in the dirt along with the hopes and dreams of your children for the love of a simple handmaid? A seductress? I should have listened to Thor and sent her back to ..."

"Father, you are too bold!" Loki shouted at him, "You speak of my wife!" He shot her a look and she could see the fire in his eyes.

"If you think so highly of her, perhaps she would have your ear and tell you that your rightful place is here in the palace."

Frigga could stand it no longer, "Odin, you will apologize to Eidra. She has done nothing to you save love your son. You will not chide her for that."

Odin had sat up in his bed, now his eyes drifted to Eidra who stood beside Loki, her hand touching his cloak. "I will not chide her for being what she is. That being said, you do your children a great disservice by keeping them out in the country. The boy knows nothing of the palace, he is timid, he needs guidance."

Loki was breathing ragged now, his jaw set. "I am sorry to have disappointed you so, Father. I was a fool to think you would be glad to see that I had found happiness and contentment. Please excuse me." He bowed, grabbed Eidra's hand, turned and began to walk from the room, only slowing when Frigga's cry to wait was followed by her footsteps sounding throughout the bedchamber.

She caught up to them as they reached the hallway. "Loki, please do not leave so angry. Your father is not disappointed in you, he only wishes the children to stay here and learn what they have missed. He is failing, who knows how long he shall last."

"Nevertheless, mother, I cannot allow it. I will not return to the place where my memories would haunt my every waking hour." The scuttle of feet interrupted them as the scribe appeared and Loki waved him away, "You are not needed now," The scribe looked at Frigga who shook her head as well and he bowed himself from the group quickly. Loki put his hand on Frigga's shoulder then, "Mother, please excuse us. I would change and find my children."

"Loki please stay, do not leave. Give us a couple of days with the children."

He would not face her, "I cannot promise you, mother." Frigga's eyes met Eidra's and she pleaded silently for her intervention, Eidra recalling that long ago meeting in the hallway when she had been chased into her path by Thor and Loki.

"Loki, let us retire to the bedchamber and discuss this while the children are with the King." She slid her hand in his.

He stood there for a long moment then giving her hand a yank, he bowed to Frigga and was away down the corridor towards his old bedchamber.

He had not been so angry as he was now for many a season, his father's temerity was galling. Being so bold as to upbraid him and insult Eidra, calling her a seductress. Suggesting that he did not know how to raise his own children, that they should be raised here. He swung open the door to the bedchamber, his cloak over his arm, already shedding his outer vest, shrugging off his tunic. "I will change out of these useless garments. We will gather the children and we are going home."

Eidra sat on the bed, "We promised we would stay until after the feast."

"I promised nothing. He did all but call you a common whore and you wish to remain here?"

Eidra stood and walked over to him, her hands spread across his chest. "He is old, his mind feeble."

"Not feeble enough to forget that you were once a servant." Suddenly his arms were around her, she could feel his heart beat wild at her chest, one hand sliding down to the swell of her belly, "I feared this would happen. That we would meet with resentment."

"The queen was very kind to me, think of her. Besides," She put her hand beside his and they smiled together as they felt the baby roll beneath their palms. "We stay here and irritate him, we leave and anger him. Your choice."

His smile faded and he tightened his embrace, "I will stay for you and for mother but the moment he disrespects either of us in front of the children, we are leaving."

"Agreed." She reached up to stroke his face, "Come lay down and rest."

Her words were cut off as his mouth covered hers in a searing kiss, "I shall lay down but I will not rest."

"Nor I suspect, shall I."

Brenna felt the soft velvet of the horse's nose as it nuzzled her hand. "I have never seen so many horses in one place."

They were at the stables, Thor squatting down to point out something to Fen. "We need the horses for our army but we also ride for pleasure. I myself ride almost every day."

"Just for the fun of it?"

Thor nodded as Brenna looked about the stable, "And I should be able to do the same if I were to stay here?"

"Of course if you so wished. You would learn deportment and court etiquette, dancing, the latest fashion would be at your disposal. Do you know how to play any musical instruments?"

"I do not."

"Then that opportunity would be afforded you as well."

Fen was already off on a run through the stables to the next wondrous sight and they followed him, "You would also be found a husband. A proper one, titled."

Brenna giggled, "I am too young for that."

Thor held up a hand, "Too young to marry as of yet but not too young to be betrothed."

They entered a large arena with stands surrounding it, a large covered set of seats with two thrones in the center, dominating the whole scene. "Here we have games, sword fights, public punishment for those foolish enough to disobey the King's edicts."

Fen was playing at imaginary swords with an opponent only he could see when a servant came trotting down the stairs from the top of the arena and bowed to him. "Milord, the Allfather requests your presence."

Thor looked to Brenna and Fen, "I will deliver you to your parents then I am needed at your grandfather's side."

Brenna and Fen followed behind him, their heads aswivel, taking everything in as they followed him until finally they were at the doors to Loki's bedchambers and Thor knocked, hearing someone giggle. "Come in." He heard Loki call.

The children burst through the door to find them sitting on the bed, their hair mussed up, faces red, hands clasped, their mirth barely contained. Brenna rolled her eyes and ran to the portico to look out over the city while Thor spoke to them. They were always fooling around in such a manner. She often wondered whether she was the adult and they were the children then her mind turned to the city. She would have a balcony like this to sit upon and watch the city life ebb and flow were she to stay here. She became determined then to make it happen. She would learn to be a princess, a royal as she was meant to be.


	6. Chapter 6

She had been given the use of the bedroom off the nursery where she had changed into her new dress and now she lay beneath a light coverlet, as the weather had turned warm. There was a small portico off the bedroom, her own private balcony like she had wanted. She had spent quite some time at it after the evening meal which she'd taken with her mother, father and Fen in their bedchamber. When her father had asked why she was so quiet, she had half lied and said she was tired. In truth, she was thinking over how she could talk to the Queen, convince her father to let her stay if only for a little while.

They had given Fen the bedroom beside her and if she lay still, she could hear someone talking to him in low tones. She was sure it wasn't mother, she had said goodnight long ago and was now likely back in bed with father. There came a gentle knock on her door and it opened slowly to allow Frigga, carrying a small lantern, followed by Fen who ran to her bed and jumped up on it. "Can I stay with you tonight, Bren. I am afraid to be alone."

"You are alone every night at home."

"But that is just it. We are not home."

Frigga was standing there smiling at them. "Fen, dearest, perhaps your sister wishes to have the room to herself."

Fen looked at her, his face drawn up in a pout. "I promise I will not steal your covers, I will not kick you either."

"Yes you will, you always do." She sighed as she drew the blankets back to let him in, amused at the robe he wore that was a miniature of father's. He snuggled close to Brenna and she shoved him away, giving up after a couple more attempts. Frigga put the lantern on a table by the bed and sat down beside Brenna.

"Did you like seeing the palace today?"

Brenna and Fen nodded in unison, "I have never seen such a place. It is beautiful and the city is so big. May we see it on the morrow?"

Frigga put her hand to her chin, "I do not know, there will be much preparation for the feast and the bonfires. I could possibly get some time to show you around."

Brenna smiled, "Could you talk to father and ask him if I could stay here in the palace with you?"

"I thought you wished to go out for a jaunt through the city?" Frigga gave her a puzzled stare.

"I do, I meant that I wondered if you could get him to let me stay here and learn to be royal."

Frigga's face fell, "I do not think that there is any negotiation on that subject. He seems to be adamant that you return to Rialo. You must obey your father even if you do not like the reason for doing so."

"He is so unreasonable." She whined.

"You must look at it from his perspective. He is your father and you would be asking him to leave you here alone half a day's journey away for who knows how long. He would miss you terribly."

"He would scarce notice I was gone. I am a girl. Boys are more important to men and he has Fen."

"Prince Fen!" he piped up, giving her a shove.

"Shut it, you little worm." Brenna grumbled.

Frigga smiled, "My child, it is time you put these thoughts to rest along with yourself. Get some sleep."

"Yes, your Majesty."

Frigga put her hand out and caressed her cheek, "Please call me grandmother. It would mean so much to me."

"Yes, grandmother." She replied but quieter as if to soften her seeming irreverance.

Frigga stood, the lantern in hand, "I will see you in the morning. Good night."

They replied "Good night." to Frigga as she closed the door behind her and they were left with the glow of the half moon outside the balcony.

"I do not want you to stay here. I want you to come home with us." Fen whispered.

"You do not want to stay? You could have such fun, ride horses all day if you liked, play, go on hunts. Explore the palace."

She felt Fen shake his head. "I want to home with Mama and Papa."

"Wait until you get to be my age then tell me how you feel."

He touched her arm, "You will be coming home with us Brenna, say you will."

"If father lets me stay, I will remain here."

"But I would miss you."

She could hear the worry in his voice. "Fen, you could visit. I am sure they would come to see me regularly."

"Come home with us." Fen sidled closer.

"Go to sleep." She murmured as she hunkered down beneath the covers.

Eidra threw the covers off of her as she lay on her side, panting, Loki holding her shoulders, his forehead pressed against her back just below the nape of her neck. She could feel him start to soften, slip from her and she smiled, put one hand to her shoulder and grasped his hand. He chuckled, low, as he moved in closer to hug her to him.

"I was thinking of this all day. From the time I walked into this bedchamber for the first time in so many seasons."

"I confess," She murmured, snuggling as close to him as she could, "As was I."

He was silent for so long, she thought that he had fallen asleep, "Brenna was quite enamored of the palace, the prospect of leading the life of a princess. Perhaps this was not such a good idea to come here after all."

"You wanted to come here just as much as Thor wanted you to. It was your home, I would expect nothing less. Do not worry so. On the morrow, we will celebrate Walpurgis. You have decided to go on a hunt with Thor and his party have you not?"

She felt him nod, "And then there will be the bonfires and the feast and if you so decide, we may leave directly after."

He planted a kiss on her sweet spot, gently sucking at the skin, tasting the sweet salt of perspiration that drove him to throb once again to life as she purred at his attention. "Gods, you are insatiable, my love."

"It is because you are beside me, my little minx."

Suddenly, his arm was around her, his body pressed to hers, "Perhaps we shall leave after the feast. I wish to be home with you. I worry about the animals, about Chris and Sally."

"Whatever you desire." She held his arm around her, content in the fact that should her life end again here and now, she would have been thoroughly loved enough to last for eternity.

"I have what I desire, Eidra."

She smiled though her eyes had drifted closed, "So do I."

Brenna watched the fire rise to the night sky, her father, Fen and her uncle silhouetted against the flames. Her grandfather had been too ill to attend the lighting of the bonfires. Helgi and her mother stood beside her, talking.

"Artra has developed the gout, I told her to ask for an assistant but you know how stubborn she can be. Almost as stubborn as Volsa."

Eidra shook her head, "It is a wonder they have not done each other in yet."

Brenna tried not to listen to them. She drifted over to where her father stood. Fen, spying her, waved and ran to pull her along.

"Greetings, Princess, what think you of Asgard's idea of a festival?" Thor bowed.

"Do not encourage her, brother." Loki warned him, "I shall never hear the end of it."

Thor winked at Brenna then, "Come now, what would a month in Asgard harm? It might even help you later on to find her a husband if she has been trained up properly."

Loki was staring into the fire but out of the corner of his eye he could see Brenna catch a giggling Fen in a headlock and dig a knuckle into the top of his skull.

"You talk of husbands, she is still just a child."

Thor leaned over to him, "Take a closer look, brother. She may lack some maturity but she is nearly a woman."

Loki would not turn his head but he could not stop the image in his mind of Brenna standing before the mirror at home the night before they'd left for Asgard. How she had pulled in her stomach and admired her decolletage. He had seen the woman then that she was becoming but it made the reality no easier. He'd had far too little time with the child before the woman had appeared. He heaved a great sigh and was about to respond when he saw Sif glide over to Thor's side, two chalices in hand, one of which she handed to Thor. He held the chalice toward Loki who looked at the chalice in his own hand then raised it as Thor smiled,

"To family." Thor touched his chalice to Loki's with a metal clink,

"Indeed," Loki replied, "Skol." He regarded Sif's steely gaze, willing the children to return to Eidra's side as Sif grinned. "Where is your wife?"

Loki tilted his head behind him, "Back there in the crowd."

Sif turned then, scanning the crowd until she spotted her, "Oh I see her, speaking with her fellow worker, Helgi."

Loki let the jibe pass, "She is our housemaid now."

Sif took a sip of the wine, the gold bracelets on her arm tinkling, "It must be so awkward for a servant to serve a servant."

He heard Thor rumble low in his throat.

"She is family to us. We all do our share of the work."

Sif looked at Thor and laughed. "So you have become a family of servants. I did not realize menial labor was catching."

"Sif," Thor began though Loki could hear a hint of amusement in his chiding which irritated Loki further.

Loki swept her with a precursory glance, "It is no more contagious than those ill which you seem to possess, callousness, cruelty, frigidity."

Thor began to choke on the gulp of wine he'd taken as Sif stepped up to Loki who stood looking down on her as impassive as he could manage which was a stretch as he was seething inside.

"There may be a cure for such ills as mine but what cure is there for birthright? She was born a handmaid, she will die a handmaid as will her children and their children hence. A whole village of servants will you beget."

"Sif!" Thor roared, catching the attention of Brenna, Fen and a few other around him. "A handmaid she may have been but she has given birth to royalty twice over. Do not let me hear you disrespect or refute that fact again!" Sif was startled but held her ground, bowing to Loki while her eyes slid to Thor,

"Forgive me, Milord, I forgot that your brother also has an affinity for the hired help."

Loki, teeth bared, hissed, "Were it not for the presence of my children, I would challenge you."

Sif laughed, "Were it not for the fact that you are afraid of me, I might believe you." Two hands dove between them and Thor was pushing them apart.

"Enough of this. The night is supposed to give itself over to joy and feasting and we will do as it bids!"

Sif lowered her eyes, "Yes, Sire."

Thor slowly backed away and gave a nod to her and then Loki.

"Now let us go, it is time for the feast."

Brenna rolled her eyes. They were at it again. She sat as the long table between Frigga and Fen. Across the way, as she eyed them over a large roast suckling pig, sat her mother and father. Her mother would pick a piece of roast pork off her plate and feed it to him, then he would do likewise, sometimes dangling the morsel before her while she held her mouth open, laughing. Other times she would lean her head on his shoulder and steal from his plate, even though there was plenty of food before her, when she thought he wasn't looking and he would catch her. Then they would laugh and kiss.

It seemed as if being back in the palace had turned them into silly teenagers once again, making her feel as if she were the adult and they the children. In fact, as she watched Fen play with his food, she felt like the only adult in the whole family.

Her plate sat empty before her. The food had been incredible, perfection. The bread fresh, the fruit as fresh as if it had just been plucked from bush or tree. Plates of apples sat at intervals on the long table, their skin so yellow it seemed almost gold. When she had taken one and bitten into it, the taste was unparallelled even with their small orchard at home. The roast pig must surely have been fed upon the same apples for the meat was sweet and salty all at once. Vegetables of all types abounded, roasted parsnips, a favorite of hers and her mother's as well, great ears of corn, steamed potatoes, and a myriad of others. Sweets too, abounded, berry pancakes with honey, sugared fruits, sponge cake. She had tried a little of everything but now as the food was forgotten in favor of storytelling and song, she became bored. She turned to Frigga, "Grandmother, may I be excused?"

Frigga nodded, "You may, my child."

At once, Fen piped up, "Where are you going, may I come?"

"No, you stay here with Mother and Father. I am only going for a walk around the hall."

Fen began to protest but was quickly distracted by Frigga who waved her away as she held Fen's interest with a bowl of sugared nuts.

Brenna drifted among the crowd, watching the servants, the women with their long slowing dresses, the men in their breeches and court dress. Observing them, unaware she, too, was being observed. She had stopped to listen to a troupe of musicians performing in one corner of the Great Hall when she felt a hand on her shoulder and she was suddenly face to face with the woman who had been arguing with her father earlier that evening.

"Hello." Sif said, "It would seem the daughter favors the mother."

Brenna tilted her head in confusion.

"You look like your mother."

"Oh, I have been told that."

"Indeed, although your hair is dark like your father's, and what a pretty shape you have. I must confess I am jealous."

Brenna looked the stately woman over, wondering what she had to be jealous of. She was tall, severe looking but in a completely beautiful way. Large grey eyes, full set mouth, a delicate nose, long flaxen hair, a finely musculature all combined to make the Queen as lovely as she was regal.

"I have some dresses in my wardrobe that I no longer wear. Perhaps you would like to have them. Come, you can try them on, see how a princess should look."

Brenna felt her arms stand out in gooseflesh but the thought of having something beautiful to wear that didn't come from Helgi's or her mother's workbaskets was overwhelming.

"I cannot be gone too long, my mother will be looking for me."

Sif smiled wide, "Not long at all. I would not wish to worry her. Shall we?"

Brenna nodded and with one more glance around the hall, she followed Sif out into the torchlit corridor and away from the feast.


	7. Chapter 7

Brenna turned to look at herself in the mirror. The dress was sleeveless and backless with a halter tied at the neck to hold it up and an over robe that brushed the floor. It was made of watered silk in blue tones and it swayed and shifted with each movement. It felt divine against her skin.

Sif stood beside her and held her hair forward into a bun at the back of her neck. "Oh my, you truly are a beauty, especially with your hair up."

Brenna twisted around, trying to see the back of the dress in the reflection. "Father would never let me wear this."

"Oh?" Sif let Brenna's hair fall, arranging it around her neck. "I was thinking that since you would be staying at the palace and he would be back in Peasantville or wherever it is you hail from now,"

"Rialo." Brenna countered.

Sif pursed her lips, "That he would expect you to have a decent wardrobe. I just wanted to give you a head start."

Brenna ran her fingers along the fabric at her hips, "I thank you, your Majesty."

"Aunt Sif, please."

Brenna colored a bit, that would be the hardest thing to get used to, addressing royalty so familiarly, "Father refuses to let me stay."

Sif arched an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Did you ask him why he was so dead set against it?"

Brenna nodded, "There was more than one reason but the largest by far was that palace life is full of traitors and liars. One cannot trust another and it is something he would rather I not learn firsthand."

Sif put a hand to her chin, "So he would rather you be naive and innocent your whole life, never learning how to spot the bad and separate them from the good like wheat from the chaff?"

When she let go, Brenna stared at the floor. "He says I am too trusting, like my mother."

Sif walked to the bed where she had laid out a few gowns and looked them over, "Let us try on a new gown."

She returned to where Brenna stood, working the knot out of the halter at Brenna's neck, "Sometimes our instincts are correct. You decided to come with me, after all, and I am your aunt. We are family and family should stay together, strong, united."

Brenna kept to herself her initial instinct to run when Sif had first approached her.

"Why did you argue with my father at the bonfire?"

Sif sighed and squeezed Brenna's shoulders. "I was angry with him. I think your father is being stubborn, selfish. I see how he charges you with your little brother's care, treating you like a glorified babysitter."

Brenna frowned as Sif''s words sank in. Father was always holding her responsible for Fen's actions. One day she had given Fen the milk pail to carry when it was her turn at the milking and Fen had spilled some of it on the way into the cottage. Father had chastised her for letting him carry the pail though Fen had begged and pleaded to do so in the first place. From the time he had started to walk, in fact, she had been responsible for him. Keeping him away from the fireplace when mother and father were busy. Amusing him, helping to change his soiled nappy, keeping him from getting underfoot.

Amidst her inner tirade, she could hear the voice of Reason, shouting at her that her parents trusted her, relied on her help so that they could maintain the household, manage the land, put foor on the table...She quickly slapped her hand over Reason's mouth until at last it stood silent, shaking its head at her.

"Here you would have nursemaids to look after him and you could have more time to yourself."

Brenna stood still while Sif buttoned up the back of a crimson shift she'd pulled over Brenna's head. "Could I learn to shoot crossbow?"

Sif hesitated. "It is not needed for a lady to learn such things but I suppose if you asked to do so, your wish would be the court's command, you are a princess after all."

Brenna turned in the mirror, admiring the shift, the long flowing sleeves, the high neck and the open neckline that displayed her budding cleavage to full advantage.

"This is your color. You look radiant. Now you look like the princess you are.

Brenna stood straighter and thought to herself, "The princess I shall be."

The crowd had thinned a bit when Brenna and Sif rejoined the feast. Whenever anyone would bow to Sif, she would wave her hand to Brenna, "And to the princess as well." and they would bow again accordingly.

Loki glanced again over to Eidra who was standing upon the raised steps leading to the outer archway of the Great Hall, scanning the crowd for Brenna. Once again she shrugged her shoulders and he was about to look away when she started to wave and point towards the opposite end of the hall. Loki turned to see Sif moving through the crowd toward Thor and at her side, smiling and nodding to people, was Brenna. He whirled to Eidra, and even from there she could see the fire in his eyes as he quickly spun around and started for the pair, keeping them in his sights.

"See how it feels to be acknowledged?" Sif purred as they approached a young man, handsome, with dark brown hair and even darker brown eyes, well attired, who smiled and bowed to Sif. His smile brightened as he spied Brenna beside her.

"Lars," Sif held out her hand and he took it, touching his lips to it ever so softly.

"Your Majesty."

Sif turned to Brenna, "This is Brenna, daughter of Prince Loki."

Lars took Brenna's hand and she shuddered at his touch, the warmth of his own hand, the firm grip, and then he was bussing it as he had Sifs. She could feel the press of his lips on her skin just at the knuckles. "Your Highness, I am delighted to meet you."

"Likewise..." She hesitated, looked to Sif for help.

"Milord would be appropriate." Sif smiled at him as Brenna finished, "Milord."

"She is going to be learning the ways of the royal court, forgive her."

Lars bowed again, "Not at all, I am happy to help her practice."

Sif had seen Loki heading towards them and she could hardly contain her delight as she took Brenna's elbow and began to steer her in the opposite direction. "Please excuse us, Lars. I must continue to introduce her to the court."

Lars smiled, "It has been a pleasure, your Highness."

Sif put her arm around Brenna's shoulders, "Let us go show your uncle how grown up you look."

They were mere feet from where Thor stood talking to a group of men when suddenly Loki was blocking their path. Brenna watched her father assess her as he stepped close enough for her to smell the wine he'd been drinking. "You will return to wherever you left your dress and change at once."

"But Father, Sif gave me this dress."

His voice, even, low, disturbed her more than his words. She recognized the tone that meant he was moments away from an outburst. His gaze flickered to Sif whose tight lipped grin seemed to brighten further.

"I was only being generous, Loki. Do not chide her. She may keep the dresses. She looks so regal in them."

Loki drew himself up taller and leaned in to Brenna's ear. "I repeat, you will fetch your dress and change back into it. This style is inappropriate for someone your age."

Brenna was about to ask for Sif to bring her back to her bedchamber when Sif shook her head ever so slightly and she stepped back from Loki, "No Father, I will not change. There is nothing wrong with..."

"NOW!" Loki's roar rang throughout the hall as silence fell over the crowd. Brenna cringed, her eyes shut tight as she felt the tears threaten to start. Her throat stung too much to attempt a reply. Instead she turned, stumbled, regained her feet and was soon out in the corridor trying to recall the way to Sif's room.

Eidra was halfway across the hall when she heard Loki's shout and saw Brenna run out of the Hall through the far double doors. She started again towards Loki.

"How cruel." Sif growled as Loki began to look about the hall for Eidra. "Why would you embarrass her so and for something so simple as a change of outfit." She saw Thor parting the crowd, heading for them at one angle and Eidra not far behind from the other.

"Why would you take my daughter and dress her in such an outfit, fill her head with delusions? You had no right..." He felt Eidra's hand on his arm and he turned to her, "Go find Brenna," As he turned back, expecting to find Sif scowling at him, instead he came face to face with Thor. Sif had melted into the crowd.

Brenna struggled to undo the buttons at the back of her neck with trembling fingers. She had been crying so hard when she reached Sif's room, she'd had to lean on the wall for a few minutes to catch her breath. She had never felt so small in her life, so ashamed. She stamped her foot in frustration when the buttons refused to give way to her fingers, and a new freshet of tears began to threaten. Hands at the buttons made her jump forward until she heard Sif, "Hush, my dear, I know how you feel."

When she had the buttons undone, she took Brenna's old dress and slipped it back over her head. Brenna bent over, retrieved the crimson shift and handed it back to Sif who lay it on the bed.

"Thank you for the dresses but I will have to leave them here."

Sif came up to her and wrapped her in a tight hug as the tears she had been holding back, burst forth, "Why did he yell at me so? It was a dress, just a simple dress, gods!"

"Shhh, darling, I told him he was being unreasonable with you. I will do everything in my power to see that you are able to stay here."

"Will you?" Brenna leaned back and looked up at her.

"I shall but you must do your part too. You must convince him that this is the right thing to do for you and your brother."

She wiped her eyes, "I do not think there is anything I can say that will change his mind."

"You can do nought but try." Sif stroked her cheek, "That is all you can do."

Eidra had watched Loki scoop Fen up as he leaned down and kissed Frigga on the cheek, bidding her goodnight, avoiding her questions about what had happened. He had been so angry when Sif had managed to slip into the crowd that she thought he was going to throw Thor out of the way and go after her. Instead he had turned, taken her hand and dragged her back through the crowd, Thor calling after him to wait.

Just before they had reached the large double doors, Thor caught up with them. "Brother, what in Odin's name is going on?"

Loki was trembling with rage. A couple times she made an attempt to take Fen from him but he clutched the child as if afraid to let him go. "Your wife is an unconscionable underhanded wench!"

Thor scowled at Loki, "Have a care how you speak of the Queen."

"She should have a care how she uses her influence. This was such a bad idea, brother."

Eidra heard Fen start to whine and she held out her arms, "Loki, give Fen to me, you are scaring him."

He let Fen go then, but kept facing Thor. "There will be no end to this now. You filled their heads with grand designs, they will think themselves above their fellow villagers. They will become vain, proud."

"They should be proud, they are royalty."

"Not in Rialo!" Loki shouted. "They are brother and sister, my children, nothing more."

"That is your choice, not theirs."

"And that is how it should be, I am their father!" Loki took a deep breath, trying to still his hammering heart. "I am going to retire. We will leave for Rialo first thing in the morning."

When Thor started to protest, Loki held up his hand, "Good night brother."

"Loki,"

"Good night!"

She had to set Fen down after a few steps, her back was aching from trying to keep him off her belly though he whined and pushed himself against her to be picked up again. "Fen, I cannot carry you, it is too much with the baby. Come I will hold your hand."

They walked down the corridor until they reached the nursery where Fen and Brenna were staying. It was quiet, Bruna, lying on a cot beside the bassinet where Lóriði slept. She raised her head when they walked in and nodded silently.

"Is my daughter in her bedchamber?"

Bruna nodded, whispered, "Yes, she came in a short while ago."

Eidra walked Fen in to his bed, tucked him under the coverlet and sat with him for a while until his eyes closed in sleep. She then looked in on Brenna, intending to sit and talk with her but when she said her name, "Brenna," for a few times and got no response, she realized that Brenna was deep asleep. She reached down, brushed Brenna's hair from her face and kissed her cheek, whispered. "Love you, my sweetheart." then stood and left for her own bedchamber, missing the tear that rolled down Brenna's cheek.

He knew it was coming even before she opened her mouth. Saw it as she walked over to him that morning while he was positioning the horse in front of the wagon. Helgi watched her as she approached and tried to fix her with a warning stare that she ignored.

"Father, I wish to remain here in the palace."

He continued to hitch the horse up, the sounds of creaking leather, the clink of metal loud in the quiet of the early morning.

"Father, may I stay?"

Fen had been standing in the back of the wagon, moving the bales of hay around for Loki and now he leaned over the bench of the wagon waving his hand at Loki. "Papa, Bren is talking to you."

"I hear her, your sister would do well to learn what silence means."

"Father, please could I stay just for a little while?"

Loki turned to Brenna, "Out of the question. Your place is not here. Neither of you belong here in Asgard. I will hear no more upon it."

"But why father? Do you not want me to be happy?"

Loki narrowed his eyes at her, "Your happiness is of the utmost importance to me and you shall be happy at home. Your mother's time draws near and she will need your help with Fen and the new baby."

She recalled with painful clarity the phrase Sif had used, "So I am to be a glorified babysitter?"

Loki tightened the strap below the horse's belly, "Call it what you will. I would not expect you to look at it any other way."

"I hate you." Brenna mumbled beneath her breath.

Loki paused then, "So be it but you will hate me in Rialo. Now I will hear no more of this, do you ken?"

Brenna crossed her arms and fixed him with a stare, "No I do not. I will stay here..." and at once she was pressed against the wagon as Loki towered over her, "You will do as I say if I have to drag you into this wagon and tie you to the bench, do I make myself clear?!"

Brenna slid to the side until she was able to back away from him, nearly tumbling Helgi to the ground, "Child take a care where you are going." Helgi said, her hand on her back to steady her.

When Thor stepped into the courtyard moments later to see them off, Brenna was already seated on the bench of the wagon, her head hanging in defeat.

Thor drew Loki aside, "Brother, will you not reconsider staying? All of you, not just the children. This is your true home."

Loki was shaking his head, "I am sorry. My home now lies a half day's journey away. Farewell, Thor."

Thor put his hand on Loki's shoulder, "Good journey, Loki. Until we meet again. Promise me you shall make your visits more frequent."

Loki smiled at him but said nothing, mounted Blackberry who stood beside the wagon waiting patiently, clucked at the horse and started off out of the courtyard, the wagon creaking along behind him. Brenna turned to look back once more at the palace soaring above her. She would return to the palace, no matter what, she promised herself, she would return, soon.


	8. Chapter 8

Brenna listened to her father pitching hay into the stalls for Rose and Tulip which she currently pressed her forehead against, watching the milk stream into the pail below. Her father was humming a tune she couldn't place, irritating her more and more. It had been a month since their trip to Asgard and it was now haying time. Her mother had been having trouble as of late. She'd started getting sick in the mornings again and Helgi had thought it unusual, sending her to bed for a few days which meant Brenna was responsible for what her mother usually did. Sally had come over to help for a few days, bringing Chris with her who now could no longer walk without a cane. She could see the way her father looked at him with great concern. She had overheard them talking once, he had apologized for bringing Chris here to Asgard but Chris had chastised him, telling him that he wouldn't have had it any other way.

"Are you finished Brenna?" Loki called to her. "Your mother will be waiting for that milk."

"Yes father." her tone was clipped and suddenly she saw the tips of two boots to her left. She looked up at her father who was standing there, leaning on a pitchfork.

"What have I done to offend you so early in the day today?"

She turned her attention back to the milking and closed her eyes, "Nothing, I was only answering you."

"Mmm but I could hear it in your voice. I must be getting better at it. You are usually angry with me by midday."

She said nothing, stood with the milk pail and started for the barn door when she heard her father behind her ask softly, "Bren, will you ever not be cross with me again?"

"Yes father," she replied but kept her feet moving. She wanted to put as much distance between him and herself as possible and to that end was walking with a full head of steam when she came around the corner of the cottage nearly knocking Chris to the ground, stopping quick enough to slosh milk out of the pail.

"Goodness child, where are you going in such a hurry?" Chris leaned against the wall of the cottage where Brenna had joined him, her hand at her mouth to stifle a scream.

Chris peered around the corner towards the barn, "Ah, I see."

"I am sorry. I did not mean to be so careless."

Chris waved at her, "You didn't know I was there, 'tis not your fault. Have you and your father been at it again?"

She shook her head, "I was just in a hurry to get inside."

Chris hauled himself up from the wall, leaned on his cane, "Very well then, I shall leave you to continue. Mustn't impede your forward progress."

He watched her around the corner of the cottage before he set out for Loki who was currently standing at the stall watching the cows tear at the hay, his hand at the back of his neck.

Chris tapped him on the shoulder, startling him, "Old man, what are you doing out here? You should be inside with your feet up."

"For heaven's sake, soon you will have me in a dress with a pair of knitting needles on my lap. I did not wish to be grouped inside with a bunch of cackling hens. Rather if I was going to expire, I would rather it be while trying to be useful.." Chris smiled..."That or planted beneath my beloved in the throes of passion." Loki chuckled and shook his head.

"What, 'tis every man's dream, is it not? Oh wait." He clapped a hand to his forehead, "You are of a mind to die in battle, to reach Valhalla. Yes indeed, I would want nothing more than to die with a sword stirring my guts into soup."

Loki looked at Chris, "Ah but what awaits a warrior slain on the field of battle, the Valkyries, all the mead you can drink, endless feasting, war games. It is a warriors paradise." He patted Rose's side, " But, my friend, I would rather die a quieter death, return to the afterlife with my beloved Eidra. This heaven as you call your afterlife, if we be able to stay with our loved ones for eternity as you say, I believe I shall follow you instead."

"What, you become a Christian? That will be the day, still and all, I shall put in a good word for you when I arrive. They may be able to bend the rules a bit for a decent man such as yourself."

Loki took Chris's arm, "Come, old friend, let us get inside to the morning meal. I have to tend the crops soon."

Brenna pulled out a chair for Chris who patted her hand, "Thankee, child."

She put a plate of food before him and a mug of cider as Sally came from her parent's bedroom. "She says she will have a bit of porridge with honey."

Brenna quickly scooped up some porridge out of the large kettle and drizzled honey generously atop it. Eidra was sitting up in bed when she entered the room. Helgi was arranging the coverlet, fluffing the pillows, and she turned to Brenna. "Oh good, here, you sit with your mother for a few, I will go help Sally and give her some peace," By peace she meant extracting Fen from the foot of the bed where he lay kicking his feet and talking ceaselessly. Helgi picked him up and he thrashed about, "I want to stay with Mama!"

"Fenris," Helgi cried, "Behave yourself. Mama must eat, she is ill. Come I will fix your meal. Would you like an apple...?"

Eidra smiled but Brenna could see the exhaustion in her face. "Mama, how are you feeling today?" She took a spoonful of the porridge and held it out to Eidra but Eidra took the spoon and the bowl, "I can feed myself, my sweet."

She took a mouthful of the porridge, drawing in air, "Hot."

Brenna smoothed the coverlet and lay down beside her, snuggling against her as she ate.

"To answer your question, poppet. I must be frank, I am afraid. This pregnancy is doing the same thing that Silas's did. I have two more moons to go, I cannot remain in bed all that time. I must regain my strength and my constitution."

"You should not have any more children after this. It is too hard on you."

Eidra shrugged, "That is your father's decision. We wanted a big family."

"At the expense of your health? Tell him no more."

"Brenna, do not be so rude."

She sat up, "But it is true. He is the only person in this house that may make the decisions. Everyone must listen to him and his word is final. It is not fair."

"Yes it is, he is the head of the household. We talk about important decisions, then we make them."

"Like leaving me in Asgard?"

Eidra sighed, "Bren, not again, please. It seems every day you find a way to bring this up. You belabor it. A moon has passed already and yet you still want to return?"

"Yes, mother, I do. I do not want to stay in the village anymore. I am going to be fifteen seasons by the next full moon, should I not start to make my own choices?"

"Your father sees it a different way and you know how I feel about the palace. Now go help Helgi and Sally. Do not let me hear any more to do with Asgard this day."

Brenna fairly bounced from the bed, "Yes mother." She grumbled at first slowly walking out of the bedroom before she heard a voice out in the common room. "Brother!"

"Uncle is here!" she dashed out of the room to see Thor standing before the hearth, clasping Loki's forearm in greeting.

"Your Highness!" Thor called, beaming as he bowed to her, "I was here to ask your father to accompany me on a short trading trip to Alfheim."

"Which I must respectfully decline. Eidra is having trouble. She is ill." Loki looked towards the bedchamber.

"Ah, I hope she recovers quickly. Brenna, would you be adverse to accompany me? It is only for the day, we will be returning to Asgard on the morrow."

"No." Loki answered for her, "She will have to stay and help here. She needs to care for her brother, help her mother."

Thor scanned the room, "But you have a whole household of women to help you."

"Thor."

He threw his hands in the air, "I know, I know. Very well then. Are you sure you will not accompany me, brother?"

"Another time, Thor. My mind would not be with me, I would never cease worrying."

"Then I must away, the day grows older. Your Highness." He bowed again to Eidra and to the rest of the house and was gone.

Loki had pulled out a chair and was about to sit when Brenna started in, "A day, you could not spare me for one day?"

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "I do not want you on the road with a contingency of soldiers and arms. Did you see one woman in that entire party out there?"

"I did not look out..."

"Well I did and I did not count one female among them."

"They are men of honor, Father."

"That does not mean that they are incapable of getting ambushed by an enemy. You are a warrior no more than you are a princess."

"Father!"

Loki slammed his hands on the table, making Chris jump, "Heavens."

"I am sick to death of this, do you hear me? It has to end here. I will brook no more discussion on this topic."

"But why.."

"EVER!" He shouted. "Not one more word."

"Father!"

Loki stood up then, grabbing her by the arm, ignoring the gasp from Helgi as he dragged her to her bedchamber and shoved her through the doorway. "You will stay in here until you are able to clear your mind of the foolish notions within and apologize to the family for creating such havoc."

As the door swung shut, she was struck dumb. She stood staring in disbelief, angry tears dripping onto the floor at her feet as she hit the door with her fists and gave an almighty screech. She then heard her mother's voice, loud in the common room and her father's in answer. They were shouting at each other, something she rarely heard them do, Sally and Helgi interjecting and Fen was crying. She could hear Chris trying to soothe him. "Now, now lad, let us go outside to the horses, I'll help you brush Lightning, leave the kiddies to their tantrum."

Brenna jumped onto her bed and covered her head with her pillow to drown out the voices which came to an abrupt end when she heard the front door slam hard enough to rattle the glass in the windows. The door to her parent's bedchamber slammed in response a moment later.

She had finally had enough. If she had to see the sun rise on another day in this house, she felt she would lose her mind.

The hard stone felt hot beneath her palms as she propped herself up to sit staring down at a wide gray stone path. Was she trying to get up? Had she fallen down? She didn't feel as if she'd hurt herself. Her eyes followed the natural direction to look out and she found she was facing a building with a strange looking front to it. All she could think of was the description of the shops that Chris had given her, as her eyes continued upwards with the building as it soared into the sky until it seemed to disappear into the clouds. To the right of this building rose another and then another, in fact, she could see as she stood up and brushed her hands together that the line of strange structures seemed to go on forever in both directions on both sides of a stone road.

She stood there, her neck craned to the sky until she heard quite close in her left ear, "Excuse me." and she whirled about, startled as a woman wearing strange looking clothes barreled past her on her way down the stone path. As she looked around her, she could see other people dressed just as oddly, going and coming down the same path on either side of the road. A strange sound reached her ears like the blat of a sounding horn. She turned to the road and immediately started to back towards the buildings. There were wheeled beasts rushing up and down the road, braying as they passed. She could see people riding inside of them, and she must have stared for some time, seeing them stop and go, let their passengers out, pick up more riders. She ignored the strange looks people were starting to give her as her attention was drawn again to the buildings. She began to walk down the stone path along with the crowd, looking right and left at the buildings until one loomed ahead massive, columned, until she was standing before it. She could see letters at the front of the building but her angle was wrong and she started to back out into the road until she could read them

"Grand Central Terminal" was all she could manage to get out of her mouth before a loud honk made her scream and stumble backwards into the road where she was suddenly face to face with one of the metal beasts she'd seen traveling along the road. She felt an urgent need to loose her bladder when the beast's rider poked his head out of its side and yelled at her, "Get the fuck out of the way, ya dumb bitch!" She lurched to her hands and knees and began to crawl to the stone pathway as fast as she could, she had nearly made it to the edge when she felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked up...

Her eyes snapped open and she sat up looking about her room. She had fallen asleep for what looked like most of the morning judging from the light coming in her window. She sat still, listening, the house was quiet. She lay back down for a moment, thinking about her dream. From the strange landscape, she could only surmise it was Midgard. She remembered her mother talking of the place where her grandmother came from. She had described the strange beasts Brenna had seen, the even stranger houses, but how could she know what a place looked like if she had never been there before? She got out of bed and opened her bedroom door a crack to see Helgi asleep in her rocking chair, knitting in her lap. She shut her door softly, tiptoed to the front door and slipped outside.

She heard the ring of a hammer striking metal, muted voices, and it was towards them that she headed.

"Lad, come give your Uncle Chris a rest."

Fen had been watching his father pound a horseshoe into shape on the big pointed block he called an anvil and now he slid in front of Chris who was sitting on an old stump chair before the bellows and took the handles and began to pump as hard as he could.

"Easy boy, not so fast, you want a nice even fire...that's it." Chris patted him on the back.

Brenna approached the little forge behind the horse stable and stood watching as her father scowled at the shoe in his tongs. "I fear I shall never quite be good enough at this." Loki muttered as he wiped the sweat from his brow with the sleeve of his tunic.

"Why my boy, you do fine."

Loki shook his head, "The shoes are much too brittle or I would not need to replace them so often. Perhaps I keep the fire too hot." He caught sight of Brenna then and gave her a nod but said nothing to her.

"I should speak with Vedic the next time I am in the village. He is the one who gave me the anvil to start off with." Loki dipped the shoe in a bucket of water, watching it hiss, taking it back out.

Chris tilted his head, "Well whyever do you not simply buy your shoes from him instead?"

Loki pulled a glowing red shoe from the forge, "I desire to learn, Chris, to sustain myself and my family, just as I do with this farm. If the family need garments, we have three seamstresses under one roof, we grow our food, raise our livestock, make candles, render oil for the lanterns, put by for the cold months. We get roving from your little flock of sheep for yarn. We have all we need right here." He paused, looked at Brenna and waited.

She very nearly felt like she was going to be sick but she managed the words. "I am sorry, father."

He struck the shoe a few times, "For what?"

"For being disrespectful."

He let the hammer sit on the anvil and sighed, "Bren, I know you feel as though you are put upon with all we ask of you here, the responsibilities you have. You think living in the palace would be easier, and you would be right. There you would have no chores. You could spend your time as you wished but it would never be home to you. This is home." He waved his hand about him, "Here with your family, the people who love you and whether you believe it or not, there will come a day as there does with everyone, when this will be the only place you wish to be and the one place just out of your reach."

She hovered at the edge of a response, the desire to ask about her dream almost overwhelming until at last she decided to ask Chris, hoping that her father would hear and perhaps practice an answer.

"Uncle Chris," Brenna kept her eye on her father, "I wonder if I might ask you about a dream I had."

Chris eyed her curiously, "You may ask child."

"You are from Midgard are you not?"

She had turned her attention to Chris but heard the banging of the hammer fall silent.

"I am that, my dear."

"Well in my dream, I believe that I was in Midgard. It was like nothing I have ever seen before. Building rising like castles into the sky. Rows of them."

Chris looked at Loki, saw he was listening, "Go on."

"I was walking down a wide stone path and there were big metal...things on the road. They had people in them."

"It would appear you were seeing carriages. They were pulled by horses were they not?"

"No," She cried, "They moved on their own!"

Loki had by then stuck another horseshoe in the fire, "It sounds a little fantastic to be true does it not? After all, what was it but a dream."

"But I saw a great building there with columns like in Asgard and it had words on it. They said Grand Central Terminal."

She heard the hammer come down on the anvil and looked to see her father, his mouth agape, frozen.

Chris shrugged, "A strange name for a place. Could it be a town do you think, Loki?"

By the time she'd turned her attention back to him, he had recovered as if she had said no more than "Hello".

"No I believe it could be a dream. I have dreamed of places that cannot exist. As, I am sure, have you, Chris."

"Indeed, Brenna, your father makes sense. "Twas just a dream."

"But father, it seemed so real. I could almost believe that I had been there before."

"I know where you have been all your life and you most certainly have not been to this place you speak of because it does not exist." Loki sighed and gestured to Chris, "Help Chris and Fen with the bellows."

Brenna sat on the ground before Chris, feeling utter defeat weigh down on her, heavy as the buildings in her dream.

"Child," Chris made to move, "Take my seat."

She glanced once more at her father, wanting him to talk more about the dream but he'd obviously considered the matter closed.

She shook her head, "I am fine here." She took the bellows from Fen who plopped down in her lap to watch the fire as it glowed bright. She was stuck, hopelessly so, in this village. What prospects would she have of finding a husband even if she'd cared to? Lars had been quite fetching but if she were to be presented to him in a homemade dress with nothing but the family farm to claim, he would laugh at her. Nay, he would likely be insulted. The most she could hope for was to be betrothed to a village artisan or a shopkeeper. Maybe the son of a local potter or woodworker. Her shoulders slumped a bit and she felt Fen's hand come up to pat her cheek. "Do not be sad, Bren." he whispered, "It will be alright."

She put her chin atop his head, "I do not believe so" If she was to run away to Asgard, her father would only come and fetch her back home. Where else was there for her to go? She glanced at her father as he bent over to pick up another length of iron, his long hair tied at his back, draping over his shoulder, the Uruz dangling at his neck aglow in the afternoon sun.

All at once, the solution was there before her. She became so excited that she began to pump the bellows much faster, garnering the attention of her father, "Brenna, not so fast. You make the fire too hot." She slowed down though she was aquiver. The Uruz was the key. Father had said it was her birthright but being as it was a gateway and quite powerful in the bargain, she highly doubted he would simply give it to her, and he wore it all the time. If she had it, she could go anywhere in the nine realms that she liked and they wouldn't find her. Even if they managed to, she could run again, just give the medallion a turn and she would be gone. She had the solution to a life in captivity, now the problem, how to get the Uruz from her father.


	9. Chapter 9

Dinner that evening was a quiet affair. Mother had come out of the bedchamber to join them but she looked uncomfortable, wincing at every move. More than that, she looked angry. Brenna would see her father glance up at her mother every so often. At one point he gave her a tentative smile when their eyes chanced to meet and she glared at him at which he swiftly returned his gaze to his plate. She would have felt sorry for him had she not been thinking so hard on how to get the Uruz into her possession.

Fen was reaching for the bread basket when Eidra caught sight of him, "Fen, ask politely for a roll. One does not simply grab at it." Fen put his hands in his lap and for a moment, Brenna thought he was going to cry. He could sense the tension even at seven seasons.

"Well, would you like a roll?"

He nodded, "Yes, please." seemed to shrink lower into his chair.

She held out the basket out to him, he snatched a roll and whispered "Thank you."

Loki shoved his plate away then, stood up from the table and strode to the door, grabbing his cloak on the way out into the evening air. Brenna looked at her mother whose mouth was working as if she wanted to say something, drawing up into a bow, but finally her face crumpled. She put her hand to her mouth, trying to contain herself but when Helgi put her arm about her shoulders, she began to cry.

"There now, poppet. Take deep breaths, do not get so upset. It is not good for the baby." Helgi murmured as she rubbed her back.

"He tries...so hard..." She sobbed. "He worries...a..bout the baby, the farm...and then I...hurt his..feelings.."

Helgi turned and took Fen from his chair, guiding him to Brenna, "Take Fen and get him ready for bed."

"But why me?" Brenna whined and Helgi fixed her with a stare.

"Because your mother needs some time alone without little ears, no more questions."

Brenna pushed her chair from the table mumbling, "So I am the babysitter once again."

Fen clung to her waist as she walked and she shoved him away. "Will you let me walk, you little worm?" but he just reattached himself and she sighed, opened the door to his bedchamber and extracted him from herself. "Go put on your nightclothes,"

"You have to turn around." Fen tried to turn her towards the door.

Brenna rolled her eyes, "I have changed your bottom more times than I care to count. I am going to my own bedchamber."

She started out the door but Fen whined, "Wait, stay here with me."

She had her hand on the door latch and she rested her forehead on the door. "I am tired and I wish to be alone."

"I do not want to be alone, see, I am changed already. Come and sit on the bed."

She turned and flopped down upon his bed while he crawled up into her lap. "Why are Mama and Papa angry at each other?"

She stiffened at first, then felt his arms about her neck and she started to rock him. "I do not know."

She suspected it was because of her. Another good reason to leave the house, they wouldn't have her to argue about. She kept rocking Fen until she felt his body go limp and she lay him down, slipping him beneath the coverlet.

When she walked back into the common room, Helgi and her mother were gone, replaced by her father who sat in one of the rocking chairs, staring into the fire. Her movement caught his attention and he turned, regarded her, "Going to retire for the night?"

"Yes father."

She was at her door when he sighed, she waited a minute longer but when he said nothing else, she continued on into her bedchamber and sat on her bed.

She wanted to return to the common room, sit at his feet put her head in his lap and tell him that everything would be alright, that she loved him, she wanted to be able to do that but so sure was she of his rebuttal that the whole scene in her mind seemed merely a dream. He had always been aloof with her, awkward. Mama had said at one time that it was because she was a girl and he didn't know what to do with girls. She supposed it had been a miracle that he'd taken her out to shoot the crossbow that day.

When she had come to live in Rialo with Helgi, she had taken to Eidra immediately, quickly building a bond between them so strong that it wouldn't have mattered if she had never known Eidra was her mother, she had already thought of her as such. She often joked that she was lucky enough to have two mamas, Helgi and Eidra. When it came to her father however, that had been an altogether different case entirely.

She well remembered the night, soon after she turned ten, when her life had changed so dramatically. A villager, while they were in town for the Jul celebrations, had remarked how much she had looked like Eidra and so they had set down at the table, herself, her mother and father and Helgi, along with little Fen, not quite three seasons old. There, Helgi had told her the tale of how Eidra had given birth to her and sent her to Ren to be safe. Helgi had never said safe from what and Brenna was certain they had left large gaps in the story. She would ask her father from time to time to tell her what had really happened but he would say to her, "All you need to know is that we are here together now."

When Helgi had revealed that Eidra was her mother, she had flung her arms about her and cried, but when Helgi had gone on to tell her Loki was her father, she had gone pale as he had stood looking at his boots, his hands behind his back. She had been frightened of him from the start and this only scared her more. It had taken a long time to warm to him though she did not think he had ever warmed to her in kind. The village boys she would play with, Silvan and Moran had told her tales about him that they had claimed to hear from their parents, which had increased her trepidation though after a while she'd not believed half of them. If she had, then she would have had to believe that he was a monster.

Judging by his devotion to mother, there was little truth to their tales, in fact his love for her was one thing that kept her from thinking him cold and unfeeling. She would always find him holding mother's hand, or stroking her face, kissing her, smiling at her, anything he could do to touch her or comfort her. This was not once in a while either, but every day. That in itself combined with what she had witnessed tonight, her mother crying because of her father for what was the first time she could recall in recent memory, was what made her slide her hand into Helgi's notions basket and take out her sharp iron shears when the household had settled in for the evening and steal back to her room to wait.

Eidra heard the bedroom door open but kept her eyes shut until she felt the bed sink beside her and light flared behind her eyelids. She opened them and watched Loki remove his boots, shoving them under the bed. Then he stood and walked over to the wardrobe, taking out a long robe and laying it on the chair before her dressing table. The dim light softened his features in a warm glow as he stripped down and she felt that familiar warmth take hold of her as she beheld the form of the man she loved.

He was still beautiful, she smiled to herself, the years of working the land, keeping the farm, chiseling his body further. He tugged at the leather thong holding his hair back and it fanned out at his back. She caught a glimpse of the Uruz at his chest before he slid the robe over his head and returned to the bed where he stood, staring down at her until she lifted the coverlet and gathered him to her as he slid beneath. She caressed his face, felt the wetness at her fingertips. She could smell the wine he had been drinking as she leaned in to kiss him and he grabbed her shoulder, pulling her closer. The spice in the wine rolled across her tongue as she sought ever deeper, letting the sensation transport her as his hand moved to her neck, to her chin until his emotions overflowed as he sobbed against her mouth and she held him to her.

"I am sorry, so sorry." He curled his hand around hers, pressing it to his chest.

"My prince, you have nothing to be sorry about, rather I do. I have been on edge with the baby. I should not have been so sore with you for taking Brenna to task."

He shook his head hard, kissed her hand, holding it to his lips. "I fear that I am destined to follow in Odin's footsteps. I have never known what to say to her. I have always felt that when she says she hates me, it is the truth."

Eidra clucked her tongue, "Loki, she loves you, how could you think otherwise?"

He took a deep shuddering breath, "I have so much guilt, sharper than any knife, for missing the first years of her life when I could have been there had I allowed myself to see what Helgi was trying to show me so many years ago. Why would she not hate me when I have been the cause of her grief since she was born?"

Eidra took his face in her hands, "Do not say that ever again, Our road may have been long and hard but we are here, now because of love and that was what brought her into this world."

"What I would give to have the strength to truly talk to her but I fear the slightest word out of place, the wrong gesture will only deepen her resentment of me. I would give anything to hear her just once call me Papa, to say "I love you" as she does to you each night."

Watching his obvious distress, his agony of will was far worse than any physical injury for the pain it was causing her. She pulled him in closer, felt his arm wrap around her back as he clung to her.

"Then you must make it happen, on the morrow, take her to work the fields with you. Talk to her while you are there."

"How?" He moaned, "How do I apologize.."

"No, your apology will be to talk to her but she too must make accessions for she is not always right either. You must come to terms together."

She could feel his body beginning to relax, "..will try with all my heart."

She cuddled in closer, stroking his hair as he finally closed his eyes. She would have to change positions eventually as she felt the baby kick and push against the intrusion of space but for now she kept him close and safe in her arms as she joined him in sleep.

Brenna started awake, rubbed her face and looked out the window in her bedchamber. It was still dark. She was immediately angry at herself as she jumped from her bed and lit her oil lamp. She pulled a rucksack from beneath her bed and lay it on top, then she trotted to her small wardrobe and began to take her dresses out, folding them and stuffing them inside the pack. She had decided she would only take a few because she would need room for other things like her sewing kit, knitting needles and some yarn. She planned on getting some work when she got to wherever she was going. She could trade work for food like some of the poorer families in the village did though she planned to take some coin of the realm with her for a start. After a few more minutes, grabbed her pack, now full, creaked open her door and peered into the common room. It was still quiet, the barest glow from the banked fire casting a red light into the room. She set her pack near the door, slipped her boots on and fingering the shears in her right pocket with trembling fingers, she pushed open the door to her parents room ever so slowly and crouched down to crawl to the side of their bed.

She had left the lamp in the doorway, for fear that if she brought it with her the light would have awakened them and her mother had been a notoriously light sleeper as of late. Her father was facing away from the room, curled around her mother. She stood up, leaned over him and peered down between them, spying the faint glow of the Uruz and the leather thong hanging about his neck. Taking a deep breath, she reached down until she felt the cord between her fingers and brought the shears to snip the cord, closed her eyes and the shears and felt the ends part. Her mother stirred then, backing against her father, tugging the blankets tighter around them. She froze, waiting for his eyes to open and see her suspended above them but he stayed still and after a moment, she dropped the shears into her dress pocket again and started to pull the cord, her progress agonizingly slow but she feared that if she went much faster, he would feel the tug and wake up. Her legs were aching with the strain of staying so still and her hand was starting to shake but she watched the Uruz rise into the air with the leather thong until she realized it was free of his neck.

She dropped it in her palm and clutched it tightly, backing from the room as swiftly as possible, nearly knocking over the lamp in the doorway as she shut the door whisper quiet. She stuffed the Uruz in her pocket and was about to grab her cloak when she heard behind her a small voice, "Bren?"

She whirled around, hand to her chest, a scream choked back to see a sleepy Fen standing in the common room, one eye open the other eye being rubbed. "What are you doing up?"

Fen shrugged, "I heard a door open. Why are you up?"

Brenna walked over to him, "I could not sleep so I thought I would start chores early. Go back to bed."

She had inserted herself between him and her pack, hoping he wouldn't see it at the door. He wove his way to her and leaned against her stomach, "Tuck me in."

She rolled her eyes but considering that it would likely be a long time before she saw him again, she put her hand at his back and guided him through the doorway of his bedchamber, over to his bed. He crawled beneath the covers and she smoothed them over him. "Now go back to sleep."

"Mmph, night."

"Night, little brother." She thought to add, I love you, but in the end kept it to herself as she closed the door behind her.

She had run around the cottage to the horse barn holding the Uruz, concerned that the horizon had started to lighten. Soon her father would be up to milk the cows. She set the rucksack on the ground and fished the Uruz out of her pocket, her hands had started to tremble again and she realized she was officially terrified. She started to waver, looked at the Uruz hanging by its snipped leather thong then thought to herself how angry her father would be when he saw what she had done. He treated the medallion with something nearing reverence though he would only tell her that mother had given it to him on a very important occasion. When her mother had shown her one day last summer, what the Uruz did, explaining to her that one day it would be hers, she had been fascinated by the possibility of such travels but now the fascination was replaced by abject fear.

She glanced towards the house again, then held up the Uruz. What if her father told the truth, that the place she'd seen in her dreams really didn't exist? Would the Uruz simply not show it or would she be walking into a dream? She put the medallion between her thumb and forefinger and in a tremulous voice, said, "Midgard, Grand Central Terminal."

The Uruz shimmered, thinned, the milky rainbows within fading until the disc was transparent though she could feel the edges of it at her fingertips. Before her, displacing the view of the large white barn and the horse stables, a hole was forming that widened further and further until it was wide enough to step through on a horse and for a brief moment she considered fetching Blackberry but decided against it, father would need her for the plowing. She stared inside the hole to see that it was nighttime there as well, and what seemed like hundreds, thousands of lamps glowing, casting light on that same stone path she'd seen in her dream and before her, the immense building with the columns and the carved words, "Grand Central Terminal." upon it. It was real. She picked up her rucksack and with a final glance back at the cottage, stepped through.


	10. Chapter 10

He planted a kiss on Eidra's shoulder and she purred in response. He had been about to rise from bed to start the day's chores but her reaction stirred the heat between his loins and he arched against her, receiving a groan in return, "Loki...too early.." He sighed, nodded then smiled and brushed the nape of her neck with his lips. "Gods!" she gasped, "Go away, you shall not tempt me."

He chuckled and swung his legs out over the floor, felt her turn to face him, "You did not try very hard." She reached around before him and grasped him in her hand but he laughed and pushed her away, "You had your chance. I need to relieve myself and get to the cows, they wish for my hands upon their teats early in the morning."

She shoved him at his back, "Dog...fine, but they will not treat you as well in return." She watched him get dressed in the faint light through the window. "I will get up and stoke the fire soon."

He pulled his tunic over his head, "Let Helgi or Brenna do it. How do you fair today. Is the baby moving well?"

She rubbed her belly, "It was moving quite well last evening. Now it sleeps, methinks this is going to be the norm when it is born. We shall be up all night."

"We?" He sat on the edge of the bed to draw on his boots,

"Yes we." She poked him, "Do you recall when we would take turns with Fen?"

Loki shook his head, "Oh yes, he would not sleep through the night until nearly half a season had passed." He stood up, "I will return soon. When you rise, wake Brenna, so that she is ready to come to the fields with me after the morning meal."

She nodded, closed her eyes, "I just need a few more minutes." and was asleep before he reached the front door of the cottage.

She watched a group of people walk under the large bridge and through a set of glass doors, one of them eyeing her as she stood off to the side watching. She caught a brief comment, "The Comic expo isn't supposed to be in town yet is it?" before the door shut, drowning out their conversation.

She edged closer to the doors, watching more people walk in through the doors until finally she stood before one of the glass panels looking through. "Ya gonna just stand there Red Riding Hood, or are ya gonna open the damn door?"

The voice startled her so badly that she spun around and stumbled backwards through the door, into the interior of the building. The man who had spoken to her, a handsome blond in strange clothes carrying a square case by a handle, sidled past her with a grunt, "Freak."

She had tied the Uruz around her neck when she'd stepped through the portal and now she fingered it. This place was stranger, more hostile than she'd thought it would be. She was on the verge of stepping outside and calling the portal to return home when she pivoted around to see where the rude man had gone and her eyes met with a wondrous sight. A grand double staircase led down to the floor of a cavernous room with a ceiling far above robed in teal with lights sparkling in its firmament. Along both sides of the room were tall square stone columns with great round chandeliers in them hanging from the ceiling. She could hardly imagine having to light each one every day. On the floor below, people were walking to and fro, some hurriedly, others sitting on their cases, still more at small arched windows that mirrored the massive arched windows across the room. They were talking to other people inside those windows. In the center of it all was a small building with a golden clock atop it.

A loud voice from out of nowhere announced something that she could not ken though she noticed other people listen and start to move towards a tunnel that seemed to go beneath the ground. She wondered, could there be dark elves here? She started down the steps to the floor below, watching, listening, in awe of the place. It wasn't as large as the Great Hall in Asgard but it was pretty big.

She looked about the crowd which was increasing as the sky outside the windows started to brighten. She would have to find a place to stay, maybe an inn or a tavern like Kern's in Rialo. The question would be where in this large village would she go to find such places.

Chase was sitting along the concourse, his back to the wall as he texted Brian that he would be back to the school by noon. He glanced at the crowd passing by and noted that it was heading towards rush hour, he checked the time on his phone and a yell of "Hey! Jesus!" made him look up again. A young girl stood there with her hands to her mouth and a girl behind her lay sprawled on the floor holding her ankle. The woman had on a long green dress with a high bodice and a long green cloak, over her shoulder was slung a large brown pack. "Must be a Renfair somewhere today." he muttered to himself as he watched the action unfold feet away from him.

"I am so sorry." Brenna gasped, "I did not mean to knock you over."

"I think I twisted my fucking ankle, damnit. You should watch where you're swinging that pack."

Brenna looked at her, momentarily stunned, "You are dressed like a man."

The woman, a pretty brunette in a gray tailored suit, rubbed her ankle and scowled up at her, "Hey, fuck you, you look like you just walked out of the woods on your way to grandma's house."

"What?" She offered her hand to the woman but she slapped it away. "Just go get help, get the security guards or something."

"I can help you if you let me." Brenna knelt down and put her pack on the floor where Chase kept an eye on it just in case.

"You helped enough, thank you." The brunette moaned as she tested her ankle again, taking off the high heel she had on.

"Please," Brenna said, "It is the least I can do." She reached out and put her hands on the girl's ankle as she protested,

"Take your hand off me or i'm gonna...scream..." The brunette's face smoothed out and her jaw dropped open. "What the hell did you just do?"

"I healed your sprain, and the small fracture as well, those shoes are much too dangerous to balance on." Brenna smiled at her but was surprised at the girl's vehement response.

"You're one of those freaks aren't you? You're a mutant." The woman scrambled to her feet, grabbing her shoe and slipping it on as she stepped back.

"I am no such thing, my name is Brenna. I need to find a place to stay. Do you know of anywhere I could go?"

"How about to hell? Go look through the phone book, freak." The brunette picked up her case from the floor and trotted away towards one of the tunnels, looking at her wrist and swearing again. "Fuck i'm going to be late."

Brenna watched her go, flabbergasted. Were all people as rude as that here?

She felt a touch on her arm and swung backwards, connecting with something hard and soft at the same time. "Whoa, hold on lady. I just wanted to tell you that you ought to keep a better watch on your stuff here."

Before her stood a tall boy with short brown hair, thin like her father but built, as if he were training to be a warrior, or a wrestler. He had green eyes and a smile that lit his open, friendly face and she realized she had hit him in the chest. "Oh I am so sorry. Did I hurt you?"

The boy laughed aloud, "You? Naw, it takes a lot more to hurt me than that."

Brenna smiled, "Are all Midgardians as unpleasant as she?"

"Midgardians?"

"Yes, are they all so..."

"Okay, wait a minute, what are Midgardians?"

"People of this realm, what?" Brenna put her hands on her hips and tilted her head. Chase was drawn in by her pale blue eyes.

"Well that's a new one on me. You heading to a Renaissance fair today?"

"A fair? I go to no fairs today, I would not know where to find the first one."

Chase looked at his phone again, saw her staring at it. "A smart phone. It's new, I'm learning it slowly but surely."

"A what?" Brenna's response was deadpan and Chase narrowed his eyes at her. "Let me guess, you're from one of those cults that don't believe in technology."

"I am from Asgard...what is..?"

Chase looked again at his phone, "Oh hey I'm going to miss my train." He picked up his backpack and turned to her about to say it was nice talking to her when he saw her staring up at the ceiling, looking lost and he was reminded of the icons of the saints that Mister Wagner had in his classroom at the school.

"Um, I gotta go." Chase held out his hand as she brought her head down, saw his hand extended, she held hers out in turn and he shook it. "Don't forget, keep that pack close."

She gave him a shy grin then and that was all it took. He knew he was going to have to find out more about her. "What are you in New York for? I mean are you meeting someone here? Because you know, those con artists out there, they eat people like you for lunch." He chuckled at her expression of disbelief. "I don't mean literally, calm down."

"I do not know anyone in this place you call New York."

Chase bit his lip and nodded, "And you just bought a ticket to the Big Apple on a whim? Straight from hicksville?"

"No, from Rialo." Brenna clasped her hands in front of her, "I hail from the village of Rialo and I did not buy a ticket from anyone." She tilted her head, "Should I have?"

Chase ran a hand through his hair, "I'll be you didn't drive here."

She shook her head.

"And you aren't meeting anyone. Where are you headed?"

"I am not sure. I am looking for a place to stay."

Chase took out his phone again and send a text to Brian "I'm going to be a little late, something came up."

"I'm going to Westchester on the next train and I would hate to think I'd left you here alone to get taken advantage of. If you want to come with me, I can find you a place to stay."

Brenna smiled, "I would appreciate it, thank you so much."

"By the way, my name is Chase Wells, what's your name?"

"Brenna."

"Well Brenna, welcome to New York, let's get you a ticket for the train before we miss the next one."

Eidra heard Helgi and Fen in the kitchen. She pushed herself to her side and sat up, grimacing at the pain in her back and her hips. Even putting on her dress was a chore but she managed. When Fen saw her emerge from the bedchamber, he ran towards her but she held out her hand to stop him.

"Gently Fen, do not hurt Mama." Helgi called to him.

He skidded to a halt and proceeded on tiptoe up to her making her giggle. She bent over and gave him a kiss then headed for Brenna's bedchamber.

"She is not there." Helgi said seeing where Eidra was going. "She must have gone with her father."

Eidra stopped, "Well then that is one chore done, what can I help you with, Helgi?" She sat down at the table with a groan.

"You may help me by staying out of the way." She turned to Fen, "Come help Helgi, you little pest."

Loki pulled the door open and holding it with one foot, bent over and picked up the two milk pails which he swung inside the door. Eidra looked up from the knitting she had taken up. It was the only thing Helgi would allow her to do as of late. "Where is Brenna?"

Loki put the pails on the table, "Is she not here?"

"No, Helgi said she was not in her room."

Loki strode to her door and flung it wide. "Bren?"

Eidra pushed herself out of her chair, "Have you checked the stables?"

"I have just come from the stables, she was not there."

Eidra took his hand, "Perhaps she was still upset about yesterday. Is it possible she walked to Sally's again. It would not be the first time."

"It is far too early in the morning to be bothering them. I will ride over to Sally's." He started for the door but Eidra held fast to him, "Do not yell at her, try to talk with her, remember?"

"I will do my best, Eidra, but it rankles me, you know this."

She searched his face, gauging his mood, "I know but this is what you will talk about later, just fetch her home. If you upbraid her for her actions then, she will only argue with you and dig in her heels."

"I know." He muttered, "I shall be back soon. Save the morning meal for us."

Brenna stared down the dark tunnel back and forth. "And you say this train will follow those metal tracks?"

Chase nodded, "So tell me again where you're from?"

Brenna kept her eyes on the rails, "Asgard."

"Never heard of it. Where is it, in Amish country or something?"

Brenna shook her head. "I do not know where Amish is. I am not from this realm."

"What's a realm?" Chase was starting to get a bit concerned, wondering if he'd come across an escapee from the nearest asylum...or if it was just New York's usually penchant for attracting the weirdos of the world. The one saving grace was what she had done for the woman in the main terminal.

"A world, a kingdom. Like Alfheim. My mother is from there." a rush of air from the tunnel and a roar that increased in decibels signified the approach of the train and he took her by the arm, "You might want to step back, they get close to the platform."

Seconds later, the train shot into the platform with a roar and screeched to a fast halt. "Come on...Brenna?" Chase turned around to see Brenna wide eyed, pressed against the far wall of the platform shaking her head. "Come on, we don't want to miss the train." He ran over and grabbed her hand, picking up her pack for her but she dug in her heels.

"What in Odin's beard is that?"

"A train now come on." People were filing into the cars as he finally felt her move and they dashed into one of the cars just as the doors were closing. The seats had been filled so they were left to stand and he could no more get the words, "Hold on to the handles," out of his mouth before the train shot forward. If he had not slung his arm about her waist, she would have been at the far end of the car on the floor. She screeched and wrapped her arms around one of the central poles they were standing at.

Chase caught an old couple sitting across from them, staring at her and he nodded his head her way. "First time in New York."

At the next stop, he had to hold Brenna's arm to stop her from dashing out of the car. As soon as two seats opened up, he plopped her into one and sat down beside her. At first he was irritated because he was sure she was crazy and even if she was beautiful, crazy was hard to overlook but then he saw her look of absolute terror and patted her hand. "Hey don't be scared. It's better when you're sitting down."

She gave a nod but her eyes were still wide and he decided to ask more questions about her to distract her from the starts and stops. "So that was an interesting trick you pulled at the terminal."

"Trick? I played no tricks." She paused, "You mean the woman who twisted her ankle?"

"Yeah, the rude chick."

"Chick."

"Girl, nevermind, go on."

Brenna put her hands up before her, "I have always been able to heal things, people, objects. I do not know where I received my gift but I suspect it is from my mother."

"So you're a mutant. Well you're heading to the right place."

"What is a mutant?" Brenna looked out the windows beside them, watching the occasional light in the darkness whiz past.

"It's someone who isn't like everyone else, they can do something special. They have these unexplained powers that they were born with or acquired somehow."

"I was born with this power I think, but I was never called a mutant. My father is a mage."

Chase knew the word, thought for a minute, "A magician?"

Brenna wrinkled her nose, "No that does not sound right, he knows spell magic."

Chase laughed, "What is he some kind of warlock?"

"What is a warlock?"

"A male witch."

Brenna returned her attention to the window, "Does a male witch do spell magic?"

Chase took his phone out of his pocket, "Well they sure try."

"Then he is a warlock."

He touched the screen of his phone, "Brian is already in Brewster waiting for us."

She leaned over and looked at the screen on the phone, "And this little box tells you this?"

She looked up at him as he gave her a lopsided smile which she returned, "Who is Brian?"

"He's a friend of mine at the school." Chase touched the screen and a picture of himself standing beside a man with long blond hair and sunglasses appeared. She reached out a tentative finger and he pushed the screen towards her, "It won't bite you. I promise."

She touched her finger to the screen and the picture changed to a large mansion. "What do you call this magic?" She touched the screen again and the picture changed to Brian holding a fair haired puppy.

"Technology."

"That word again, technology. I will have to learn it." She touched the screen and a picture of Chase cheek to cheek with a pretty blond appeared.

"Who is that?" Brenna pointed to the picture and Chase quickly touched the screen again, "Ah old girlfriend, I really should get rid of that pic."

She returned her attention to the windows for a moment, then started to scan the car, taking note of the people riding it. "Why do the women dress like men?"

Chase put his head closer to hers as he saw a couple of tough looking teenaged girls stare in their direction. "Maybe you might want to whisper next time, and that's normal around here. Girls wear dresses on special occasions but that's about it. Unless they work in an office, then they always dress up. You really aren't from around here are you."

"No,"

"I think this is going to be a long day."


	11. Chapter 11

Sally had heard the hoofbeats outside in the yard and she had the door open before Loki could knock. "Loki what brings ye here so early. Is Eidra alright? 'Tis not the baby is it?"

"No," Loki scanned the cottage as Chris struggled from his chair at the table. "Lad you look frantic. What troubles you?"

Loki turned to Sally, "Is Brenna here?"

The baffled look on Sally's face gave Loki the answer to his question. "Brenna? We haven't seen her since we were at yer house the other day. She isn't home?"

Loki's ire was increasing, "She is not. I asked Eidra to rouse her this morning but when

she checked her chambers, Brenna was not there."

Chris lay a hand on Loki's arm, "Where do you think she could be?"

Sally added, "Have ye checked in the village at Ren's? Or the boys, she could be off somewhere with them."

Loki slapped his palm with his fist, "She will wish she had stayed to home ere I find her. She did not ask permission to leave nor did she tell anyone where she was going." Such a look of pure frustration and worry came over him that Chris was compelled to sit him down and bolster him, "Sit and have a cuppa with us, she can't have gone far can she?"

Loki held his hand out, "I must find her, I cannot stay," Then he heaved a great sigh, "Tell me, old friend, has being a parent always been so difficult?"

"For millenia, I'm afraid, and I've heard it gets no easier as they grow."

He gave Chris a wry smile, "Your words of encouragement are greatly appreciated."

Chris shrugged, "It is what it is. Send word when you find her, will you, my boy?"

"I will, If she comes here, send her home with all haste."

"You may be sure of it."

When the door had closed behind him, Chris looked to Sally. "My dear, are you of the same mind as I?"

Sally was peering through the window by the door, watching Loki ride off. "It depends upon yer mind."

"I will bet you anything that the lass has run off to the palace."

Sally returned to the fireplace to stir the small pan of potatoes and onions sitting on the spider. "If that be the case, I'd pad me behind well if I were her."

Loki spurred Blackberry on, his mind racing, thoughts beset now with worry. Ren had not seen her not had Silvan or Moran and he was hoping that she would be home, sitting at the table with Eidra when he arrived. He too had pondered the possibility that she would try to run away to the palace but it was almost unthinkable that she would defy him so thoroughly.

When at last he dismounted in the dooryard, his heart sank as he saw the door open and Eidra step out and he knew.

"You did not find her?"

He dropped the reins, "No and there can be but one explanation left as to where she has gone."

"Please do not say the palace." Eidra closed her eyes and Loki realized she had been thinking the same as he.

"Where else is there, She was not at Chris's or Ren's. The boys have not seen her."

"But the palace, when we told her it was out of the question?" she put a hand to her chest.

"She took none of the horses so she must be on foot, she cannot have gotten far even if she started out last night. On foot, she could make it to the village of Cole at best." He stepped back from the cottage, "I will be waiting for her on the road, Odin help her when I find her."

"Loki, please have patience."

"I will try," He reached inside his tunic to pull out the Uruz and Eidra watched the color drain from his face as he yanked his collar from his chest and looked down the front of him.

"Eidra, tell me you have the Uruz."

Eidra sailed up to him and felt around his neck. "I do not. Why would I take it from you?" At once her hand flew to her mouth. "She would not dare.."

Loki had been steps away from the door, intending to check the bed. "What?"

Eidra dared not look at him as she said in a small voice, "Helgi could not find her shears this morning."

Loki was inside the cottage before she had finished her sentence and she hurried in after him. "What are we going to do, oh Loki, she would not be so foolish."

He had grabbed his pack from the pegs and headed to their bedchamber where she followed, Helgi bringing up the rear. "What happened?"

"I do not know, Helgi," She watched him search the bed then open their wardrobe, take a tunic and a pair of breeches and stuff them inside the pack, "Loki what are you doing?"

He was strapping on his short sword that had been hanging off the chair of the dressing table. "I am doing the only thing left to do. I must go to Asgard. The Bifrost is the only option left to me."

Eidra took hold of his arm, "But if she used the Uruz to reach Asgard, you only need ride there. What are you talking of the Bifrost?"

"She is not in Asgard." He pulled away from her and strode into the common room, pack at his shoulder.

"Where else would she possibly go? Alfheim? She knows no other place."

Loki stopped at the door and turned, taking her by the shoulders. "I should have talked to her. She told Chris of a dream she had this day past. I wished to keep things from her and thus did I deter her by insisting that it was merely a dream."

He let her go and she followed him back outside into the dooryard.

"What was the dream of?" Eidra cried.

He was securing the pack on Blackberry.

"Loki, what did she dream of?"

"Midgard."

Suddenly there came a shout, "Loki!" and he spun around to see Helgi with her hand at Eidra's elbow as she swayed on her feet. Loki rushed to catch her and they walked her back inside to sit her in the rocking chair by the fire where she sat, hands to her face, "My baby, you do not believe she could have gone to that savage realm. She cannot, would not."

He had knelt before her and pulled her hands from her face,"I do not know but there are few options left in my mind. I will go to Asgard and ask Thor for help."

"What if he does not help you? What if he says that you should have listened to him in the first place? Loki I cannot..."

"He will listen, his heart is not so hard as it once was, whether age or reason has done its chore, I do not know, but I promise I will bring her back." he stood but Eidra was rising with him, "I am going with you."

"No, it is out of the question." Loki put his hand up but she shoved it down, passing him to grab her cloak, "Helgi, take care of Fen will you?" Upon hearing his name, he poked his head out of his bedchamber, a wooden animal in his hand. "Mama, did you call me?"

"No my darling, but never mind, come to me."

"Eidra..." Loki started but she glared at him.

"Helgi is going to take care of you today. I have to go with your father." She had bent over to hug him and receive his kiss as he whined, "Can I not go with you?"

"No my sweet, this is a trip for grown ups. We are going to fetch your sister."

"Did she take a trip too? She had her pack at the door last night when I woke up. I heard her out here in the room and she brought me back to bed."

Eidra glanced up at Loki, "Yes she took a trip but we're going to bring her home."

He spied Helgi's worried face and put his hands up to Eidra, "Is Bren okay?"

"She is fine, now we must go."

She kissed him once more and turned to see Loki was not inside. She rushed outside where he had already mounted Blackberry. "You will stay here with Fen." He pointed at the cottage but she kept walking around the side of the house towards the stables and he followed her, "Eidra!"

"She is my daughter, I will go with you whether you want me to or not."

He pulled the horse around in front of her to block her path. "It is not safe to ride when you are so far along, do you not ken?"

She sidestepped the horse and kept walking. "I will take the wagon instead. Go on if you must, I will only follow you."

"Damn you, woman." he jumped down from the horse, "you exasperate me to no end."

He led Blackberry to the wagon beside the stables, "I do this under protest, you will take note."

She hid her smug smile, "Duly noted."

Loki strove to keep the horses in check to minimize the bumps and jolts of the wagon. Eidra could see the intensity in his face, the anger in his eyes. Scenes she had thought long buried sprang to mind but she fought them down. She clung ever closer to him, felt how tense he was.

"You should have stayed home."

"Well I am here now and it is too far to turn around, so that is enough of it." she felt his arm flex.

"Why did you feel the need to risk coming with me?"

She watched the scenery roll past, the cottages, fields. "I have seen the look in your eyes before, I wished to be there when you finally find her."

He could see her from the corner of his eye, "What do you mean?"

"I have seen your full fury. I would not have you show it to her."

His mouth dropped open, "Surely you do not think I would ever treat her..." He stopped but she squeezed his arm, "It is alright to speak of it, you would never treat her like you did me.?

"Eidra, do not remind me of so painful a time. My guilt will follow me to the end of my existence." He stared down the road.

"There is no need for your guilt. You have made amends a thousandfold, let the past be the past. Only hold your temper in check."

He looked down at his boots against the rim of the wagon, "Sometimes the hardest person to forgive is oneself, I will do my best to govern my temper." As they traveled closer still to the city, he kept hoping that they would find Brenna walking down the road. He had promised himself that if they did, he would only chide her. His relief finding her would be too great to do much else.

Brenna stood on the platform watching the train pull away on its continuing trek north. "For all the stops and starts, it truly is an ingenious way to travel."

Chase had been whispering in a stunned Brian's ear but he nodded in response and turned to her, "Yeah, it does the job, cheaper than a car too. So, uh, Brenna, this is Brian."

Brenna offered her hand to Brian, hesitating as she did so, surprised when he shook it instead of kissing it. "Are you...Svartalfari?"

"Am I what, dawg what she talking about?"

Chase watched Brenna as she held Brian's hand and studied it.

"Are you a dark elf?"

Chase burst out in a laugh, his hand on Brian's shoulder while the former stared at him incredulous.

"Dark yeah, elf, hell no. Ain't you ever seen a brother before?"

Brenna tilted her head, "I have a brother, his name is Fen and he certainly does not look like you."

Brian eyed Chase who was doing his level best not to drop to the platform roaring with laughter, "You said you was going to the city to do some shopping, what store you go to? Nuts R' Us?"

Chase bit his lip hard, "No..." and had to stop. He really didn't want to hurt the girl's feelings or worse have her take off, then she'd surely get lost. "She's new to New York."

"New to the planet more like it. You ready then? I can't wait to see what the boss lady gonna say 'bout her. You fixing to get your ass kicked."

Chase waved him off, "Trust me, she'll fit in at the school."

Brian looked again at her as she turned about, taking in her surroundings, "What she do? Confuse people until they dead? Hey space cadet!"

Brenna turned and looked at them, "Are you speaking to me?"

"DeNiro you ain't, yeah I'm talking to you, come on, the B-train is leaving the station."

She looked down the platform, "I see no other trains."

Brian rolled his eyes and Chase walked to her, picked up her pack, "He means we're leaving, won't you join us, he just says it a bit different."

Brenna smiled, "I do have a lot to learn. Forgive me, Brian. I will join you, thank you."

Brian slapped his hand to his forehead as they walked past him towards the car. "What you got yourself into, boy?"


	12. Chapter 12

They stepped off the platform and crossed a small parking lot where a dark blue Hyundai Accent sat.

"You have a horseless wagon?"

Brian stroked the hood as he headed around to the driver's side of the car, "Oh it's got horses but they under the hood." Before he opened the door, he kissed the side mirror and whispered a bit loudly, "Pay no attention, baby girl. She don't mean nothing by it."

He slid into the drivers seat and hit the unlock button. Chase opened the front passenger door for Brenna. "Go on, sit down. Brian don't bite either." She bent over and peered inside the car at Brian who waggled his eyebrows and patted the passenger seat. She gave him a half smile and after another look at the interior, sat down. Chase opened the back door and was about to sit down when he saw she had not put her seat belt on. With Brian driving, he buckled up even when he sat in the back.

"Brenna you might want to buckle your seat belt." When she turned to him with that blank look on her face that he was getting used to, he leaned inside the car in front of her.

"Here, let me...here." he picked up her hand and put it on the belt clip at her right shoulder. "Now pull that out."

She did so, until it was straight out from the seat.

"Okay now, cross it in front of you."

She made to comply but lost her grip and she jumped as it sailed past her to its former position. Brian had put his elbow on the steering wheel, chin resting on his fist as he watched them. Chase took the seat belt and handed it to her again. "Okay now hold it tight and do the same thing you did but hold onto it."

She pulled the belt around her but once again it slipped, this time catching her across the face and hooking her arm. All at once, Brian was grabbing the clip and shoving it into the lock. "Now get in the car." He growled but Chase could hear the humor in his words. "We gonna be late, 'sides Y'all look like damn Laurel and Hardy." He put the car in gear and backed out of the parking spot, heading towards the lot exit.

Chase kept his gaze on his hands as Brian flew through traffic.

"So what's your angle?" Brian asked Brenna after a bit.

Chase shook his head as Brenna replied. "I am sitting upright. Is that what you wished to know?"

"No slang, Bri, just try it." Chase looked in the rearview mirror at Brian who drew himself up straight.

"I'll try. Miss, what special abilities might you possess?"

"Oh I am a healer. I can heal anything I touch, animate or inanimate. Once I was climbing a tree with my brother, Fen. He ventured out too far on one of the limbs and it began to crack but I grabbed the limb and healed it until she could reach the trunk safely. We were far enough from the ground that had he fallen, he surely would have broken his leg." She paused, "But I would have healed that also."

"Yeah," Chase piped up, "I saw her in action in Grand Central. This rude chick twisted her ankle and Brenna touched it. It was good as new but the bitch didn't even thank her, called her a freak. You know the routine."

Brian smiled, "Id'a rebroke it for her." He slowed to a stop at a red light and glanced at her. "So you looking to be a student at the school?"

"A student, that is like an apprenticeship right?"

Brian looked back at Chase, "It ain't no trade school. It like a school where you learn reading, writing, figuring plus a whole shitload a other stuff. Ain't you ever been to school?"

She shook her head, "I learned to read and write and do figures from my family. My mother and father taught me to read and write, my father taught me figures. I am not so good at that. He often had other things to do, milking, planting, harvesting, we all did."

"So you homeschooled. That's cool. So then why you just now going to school then?"

She stared out the window as they passed a large car carrier, "I was looking for a place to stay, a sanctuary. I ran away from my home." She turned to him as if suddenly afraid Brian would pull over and tell her to get out of the car, "But I have skills, I can sew, knit, cook, clean, tend children, milk, garden. I would make myself valuable in exchange for room and board."

"I don't think it's going to be as rough as that." Chase leaned forward, "but you qualify for inclusion into the school because you're one of us."

"Who is us?" Brenna craned her neck around to see Chase.

"Mutants."

Brenna frowned. "The lady at the terminal called me a mutant but she made it sound like it was a bad thing."

Chase shook his head, "They make it sound like a bad thing but it isn't."

"Naw, they just jealous because we fancy and they ain't." Brian mimed slicking his hair back.

"We all have skills, me, I can slow time down around me. I can keep a small sphere of influence like professor Summers says, so anyone besides me would be affected, or I can include those around me. Watch." Chase closed his eyes and then opened them. Brenna looked outside the car window to see the traffic halted along with their own car. In one of the car windows passing them by, a woman was frozen, a bottle of water poised to drink, the water halfway out to her mouth. In another she could see a young girl with a phone like Chase's leaning on the steering wheel and punching the keys. A bird was caught in midflight as it had flown over the highway. Chase closed his eyes again and they were moving.

"See? Brian here, he can manipulate atoms. He can turn something solid into liquid, gas into a solid, I think it has to do with changing the vibrations of the atoms. The power is in his hands though. He has to touch the object."

"You right, I don't know how I do it I just does it."

"And there are so many others in the school with a wide range of powers. The headmistress Miss Munro, she can control the weather. Professor Summers has laser vision, Professor Wagner him you gotta meet to believe, there are so many of us."

They pulled up to a large black iron gate which swung open for the car. Brenna looked behind them through the back window to see it swing shut behind them.

"If you watch," Chase pointed out her window, "You'll see a mansion through the trees. That's Xavier's School. It's where we're heading."

She turned her head, through the trees up on a hill was one of the biggest houses she had ever seen save the palace. It was long with multiple floors, what looked like a thousand windows, vines covering the sand colored outer walls. She could see a few people outside on what must have been the front steps and they looked towards the car as it sped down the drive. They passed another right hand turn, continuing on until they came to a large building with a multitude of large doors on its outside. Brian picked up a small object from his dashboard and pressed the button on it. One of the bay doors slid open and he drove inside.

They got out of the car, Chase opening the door for her, partly because he wanted to be a gentleman, mostly because she had no idea how to work the handle. "Now you follow us and we'll bring you to the Headmistress, she'll take care of you."

She stared around the large garage at the myriad of vehicles, "This place gets stranger and stranger."

Brian laughed as they opened the door into the main mansion, "You ain't seen nothing yet."

She followed Brian and Chase up a set of stairs and to another door, opening it into a wood paneled corridor. Along on each side were arched doors of varying colors and styles. They had number plates on them and she tapped Chase on the back, "What do the numbers mean?"

"Oh, they're used when people are assigned rooms."

The corridor widened out until they were in a larger room with hallways leading off it and a big set of double doors. A plaque on the wall to the side of the door said, "Headmistress, Ororo Munro."

"Okay we'll take you in but then we gotta split. It's either that or more homework." Chase knocked on the door, heard a muffled voice, "Enter." and turned the handle.

They walked into a room paneled with book shelves filled with books, papers, folders, ledgers, dvds. Three tall multi-paned windows took up the wall behind a desk made of rich brown wood, highly polished. The walls, what had been left uncovered by the absence of shelving, were done in a flocked yellow wallpaper. A tall pole lamp and two wingbacked easy chairs sat before a large fireplace on the far wall to the left of the desk. There were various pictures hung about the room of men and women in varying styles of dress from modern to vintage. The desk itself was covered with papers and a woman with medium brown skin and stark white hair pulled back into a chignon sat behind it. She had her elbow on the desk, head in her hand as she wrote something on one of the papers. As Brenna edged closer, she could see an image of a bald man in a wheeled chair.

"Miss Munro, ma'am?" Chase said, leaning over to catch her attention.

The woman looked up, "Chase? You were supposed to be back an hour ago."

He gestured towards Brenna, "I know, I...well I got sidetracked..."

The woman stood and came out from behind the desk, "Sidetracked by what?"

"A dame," Brian added and was cut short by the curt look she gave him, "Brian, you may be dismissed. Chase will be along in a minute."

"Ma'am." He nodded as he stumbled backwards out of the office and closed the door behind him.

"Now Chase, please introduce your friend here." She smiled at Brenna who tried to smile back though it felt shaky at best.

"Ah, her name is Brenna. I met her at Grand Central." Chase colored and shoved his hands in his pockets.

The woman held out her hand and Brenna took it, "I am pleased to meet you, Brenna. What brings you here to the school? Are you interested in becoming a student?"

Brenna turned to Chase and then back to the woman, "I need a place to stay, would I be able to stay here if I was to become a student?"

The woman sat back on the edge of her desk, "Well this is a special school for people who are different from others. Do you possess any special skills?"

"I can heal anything by touch." Brenna walked to the desk and took a piece of paper, tearing it in half. She then lay the halves side by side on the desk and drew her finger down the torn edge. Beneath her touch, the two halves of the paper reseamed themselves until she had one whole piece of paper yet again.

"Chase said I am a mutant."

He bit his lip, he could feel Miss Munro's eyes boring into him. "I didn't mean it in a bad way. She's really new around town, and I mean really new."

"Thank you for bringing her to me, Chase, now you go ahead and catch up with Brian. I will talk to you later about this."

He glanced up at her, "Yes, ma'am." And turned to go when he felt a tug on his sleeve. Brenna had his shirt in a death grip and was shaking her head.

"It's alright Brenna, we're your friends here. No one is going to hurt you, I promise and you can see Chase later." The woman put her hand on Brenna's arm and rubbed it reassuringly.

Slowly Brenna let go of Chase's shirtsleeve and he gave her a small smile, "Hey, I'll see you later, Miss Munro will take care of you."

He carried the pleading look in those blue eyes with him as he ran down the corridor from which they'd come, to find Brian.

Brenna took a seat in one of the easy chairs before the fireplace and Ororo sat across from her with a clipboard at her arm. "Okay, lets start from the beginning. My name is Ororo Munro, I'm headmistress of Xavier's School for Gifted People, Your name is Brenna, do you have a last name?"

Brenna shook her head at first then something seemed to come to mind, "I am known by my father's lineage. My mother is Eidra of the House Denari."

Ororo wrote on her clipboard, "Mother, Eidra Denari."

"My father is Loki of the House of Odin, he is called Odinson. I would be Brenna Lokidottir. Is this what you are looking for?"

Ororo had stopped writing as soon as Brenna began to speak again. She vaguely registered that dottir was daughter in another language but she couldn't begin to think of which one. If the girl was who she said she was, Ororo was starting to think that she had a problem on her hands.

"Would you allow me to ask another professor to help me with this?" Ororo stood and headed to the desk.

Brenna gave her a nod, "Indeed."

Ororo picked up her phone and dialed it, waited a moment, "Kurt...I need you in my office...now...yes now...give them some reading to do...trust me I need your help...okay."

She hung up the phone, aware that Brenna had been staring at her, "Is that a phone like Chase has?"

"It's a phone, yes. While we're waiting for Professor Wagner, lets continue. Where are you from?"

"The village of Rialo in Asgard." She frowned, "It's so small you've probably never heard of it."

Ororo wrote it down, "I must confess I haven't but only because I haven't been to Asgard. How old are you?"

Brenna bit her lip, older was better and her birth day was almost here, "I am fifteen seasons."

"Seasons? Years you mean?" Ororo nodded, "Okay, you're fifteen, and you came here why?"

Brenna clasped her hands together in her lap, she wished Chase was here to help her with the questions, she was tired, hungry, she had to relieve herself. She hoped fervently that she wouldn't trip herself up with such distractions. She thought again of what Chase had said. "I wish to be a student here."

"Did your parents give you permission to come to this school? Because it's standard procedure to come with the student to enroll them."

"I left my house to set out on my own." There, it sounded better than running away.

Ororo was about to ask another question when there came a knock on the door and Kurt walked in. "Ororo, vat vas it dat could not possibly vait another ten minutes?"

Brenna turned to see the new visitor and jumped from her seat, nearly into the fireplace.

Kurt stopped in his tracks and smiled wide. Ororo shook her head, his smiles were more often than not scarier than if he had remained impassive.

"You are blue, like a Jotun." She edged closer to Ororo, "But you have a tail,"

"Vat?" Kurt looked behind him, shrieked and started to turn in a circle pushing at the point of his tail as if trying to get away from it. Brenna could not help herself and she started to giggle.

He made a grab for it, caught it in his hands and turned to her, "Vat should I do vith it?"

"Can I touch it?" She asked as he rolled his eyes

"Dey all vant to touch it. Go ahead, but no yanking, ja?"

She touched the point, thinking it would be sharp but it gave just like the tip of her nose, and she traced the outline of the tip until he shivered and pulled it to him, "Satisified? It is just like your foot or hand."

She nodded and after a moment, returned to her seat but kept her eyes trained on him.

"Kurt, would you come here for a minute and read what I have written down so far?" Ororo held out the clipboard to him and he took it, Brenna realizing that he had only three fingers on each hand...if they could be called fingers. She was about to ask about them when he finished reading the clipboard and his head snapped up, his golden eyes peering at her. "From Asgard?"

Ororo spoke but soft, "It's not possible is it? Thor's brother's child?"

Brenna brightened, "King Thor is my uncle!"

Kurt smiled at Ororo, "I think our question has been answered."


	13. Chapter 13

Loki helped Eidra down from the wagon as a servant leaped up to the seat and took the reins. Loki fixed the young boy with a stare, "See that the horses are well fed and watered."

"Yes, Milord," the boy bowed his head as he tapped the reins.

Loki looked about the main courtyard, the bustle of activity that was the daily routine as he gave Eidra his arm and they walked up the stone steps to the massive doors that led into the palace's inner courtyard. As the doors were swung open for them by the two guards stationed at the sides, a giant of a man trotted up to them, tall with a shock of blond hair and a beard with braids woven in, he wore court robes. "Greetings Coris, I wish to speak with my brother."

Coris bowed deeply, "His Majesty is currently in the royal nursery. Please follow me. I will announce you."

They followed him through the halls though Eidra walked a bit slow and Loki glanced at her, "You should have retired to our old chambers. You need rest, the trip has been overlong for you and the baby."

"Loki, she is our daughter and she is what is important to me right now. I will rest when we find her. The baby is fine."

When they finally arrived at the nursery, Coris knocked on the double doors, upon which were carved the standard of Odin, and opening them, stepped inside. They could hear him announcing their arrival. Eidra put her hand to her belly as the baby gave a strong kick as Loki's hand joined hers, his apprehension, his anger easing as the baby pushed against his fingers. He was once again spellbound by the wonder of the life growing within the woman he loved. Most of the way here, he had lectured and chided her about insisting she come with him and she had listened patiently, in her defense, but in the end when he had wondered how he had allowed her to come, she had spoken up. "Allowed? I daresay whether you allowed me or not, I would have followed you here."

He had tried to reason with her that the situation was dire, that he needed her to be safe but she would have no more of it and finally he had gone quiet.

Now, though, as their hands met over her stomach, worried though he was about her, he was grateful for her mere presence, her strength.

The nursery door opened and Coris reappeared. "His Majesty will see you." He bowed and stepped backwards into the room to allow them inside. Thor was handing Lóriði over to Sif, whom, he noted with disgust, was smiling at him. Thor turned and threw his arms wide, "Brother, you should have sent word that you were coming. I will have the servants prepare your quarters. Where are the children?" He clapped Loki on the shoulder, searching his face and was an once serious, "What is it, Loki?"

Loki put a fist over his heart, "I would have sent word had time not been of the essence, I needs must ask your help."

Thor put his other hand on Loki's other shoulder and looked him in the eye, "Ask and you shall have it, brother, whatever it may be."

Loki's gaze shifted to Sif and back, "Brenna has gone missing. I had first thought she was coming here but now I am not so sure. I ask permission to have the palace searched for her."

Thor let go of his shoulders and clapped his hands. Two guards swung the nursery doors wide and entered the room, bowing to Thor.

"I wish the palace searched from top to bottom for my niece. We will take the staff kitchen and the stables, the south courtyard and the arena to start."

The guards bowed deep and were out of the room before Thor could turn around, "Come, let us make haste."

Loki took Eidra's hand, "She must be seen to quarters so that she may rest."

Thor nodded, "We will bring her to your quarters then," He headed through the open double doors, Eidra following his lead, Loki bringing up the rear. As he was about to leave the nursery, he heard a chuckle behind him, "You seem to have misplaced something."

He stopped in his tracks, stood there, eyes narrowed, mind working for something to say in return. He looked over his shoulder at her for a long moment but finally chose to follow Eidra and Thor out of the nursery without another word spoken, leaving her, he hoped, to seethe.

Brenna looked about the room she'd been brought to. It had a bed done up in a pink flowery coverlet and she knew that the room must have been occupied at one time by a girl, a green overstuffed easy chair and a writing desk with a ladderback chair to match. A tall wardrobe like the one in her room at home. When she had mentioned that she felt like if she walked into it, she would emerge into her room in Asgard, Chase had laughed, "Or Narnia." When she had asked what he meant, he told her he would bring her the books later. She had looked for a chamberpot as well and he had shown her the toilet and how to use it, stuttering all the while as if it embarrassed him. She told him it was a vast improvement over the little porcelain pot she usually used, the shower had really delighted her and he'd smiled when she clapped her hands as he had turned it on to show her how it worked. He had said she was living in a pretty archaic time but she'd returned that it was all she'd ever known and he'd apologized.

Now she sat waiting for Ororo to come and talk to her. When she had mentioned the King, Mister Wagner and Miss Munro had moved away from her, their heads bent together talking for a long while until Mister Wagner had returned to her and said she would be welcome to a room while they discussed her situation further. When she had told them that all she sought here was sanctuary, a place to be safe, to stay and help, They had reassured her that all angles would be considered, that they would try to do what was best for her.

She walked to the window beside the easy chair and looked out over the grounds of the school. Chase had said it was once a family home but it had been added on to over the years. She had remarked that it was fit for a King. The well kept lawns, the stately trees, the walkways simply added to the proper feel and she could almost pretend she had indeed made it to the palace. Then she saw a car drive down the access road and that shattered the illusion. She was far from the palace, far from Asgard, very far from home.

"She said sanctuary, is it not asking for asylum?" Kurt waved his hand at the door as if she stood just outside.

"It is, yes I'll grant you that, but the biggest thing we have to deal with now is her father. According to my database, he was returned to Asgard and is currently imprisoned but when he went into that prison after the attack on New York, he had no children listed that we knew of." Ororo tapped her chin, "Of course we can't always trust Fury to tell us everything."

Kurt sat in one of the easy chairs and templed his hands before him, "According to mythology, he had many children, of course das has always been open to interpretation. More so now dan ever."

"But he's a dangerous psycopath, that fact can't be argued. We've seen it. The question remains, is he still in prison or was he released?" She stared out the window behind her desk, seeing the same scene that Brenna was now looking at. "It's been seven years since the attack. Could he have served his time according to their laws?"

"Maybe you should call Fury? I vouldn't vant to, mind you, but it is an option."

"And what if he showed up looking for his child. The state of New York has some pretty strict laws about child endangerment and while we try to operate under the radar here, laws are laws where children are involved. Would we be just in keeping her here at the school for her own protection? Damn Chase...he's got a good heart but he should have left her in the city."

"Ororo!" Kurt cried, hand to his chest, "She is just a child, der city would have eaten her alive."

Ororo ran her hand through her hair, grateful that it was white, times like these would have given her grays by the dozens.

"Okay well, then what do we do? Enroll her? Let her stay but keep her confined?"

Kurt tapped the arm of his chair, "I vould first see how far her education goes, let her try der state tests, den I vould see how we stand. Dat way, you vill know vat you are up against."

Ororo nodded, "You're right, start from the beginning." She walked to the desk and opened one of the drawers, taking out a sheaf of papers, "I think I'm getting too old for this."

Eidra heard the door open and she sat up to see Loki walking to the bed, "She is not here or If she is, we cannot find her." Eidra felt the panic rising, her chest seemed constricted, her heart was pounding. She had hoped that Brenna had only come here to the palace. When they had realized the Uruz was gone, she had refused in her mind to believe that Brenna would think to go anywhere else but now it was looking like she had done just that.

Eidra stood up from the bed and into Loki's arms. He was trembling, whether with anger or fear she didn't know. "I must go with Thor to Midgard."

"We must go. I told you I will not rest until I see her safe."

He leaned away and grabbed her arms, rough, hard, "Woman do you ken how dire the situation is if she be in Midgard? Were you to accompany me, I would not be able to keep my mind on the task at hand." he shuddered to think of what she would see when they arrived, how they would treat him. He had told her of New York, of the dark times when he was lost but he had not told her all and he would she never had to experience it firsthand. It was a risk just going there, especially where they were going to have to start, Thor had insisted that it was the only way, the safest way. Based on the size of the realm, they would need all the help they could get.

"I must go, just as surely as you. Please, my love, let me come with you." She bit her lip, she'd thought herself cried out, but she buried her face in Loki's chest, hiding her tears, felt his arms wrap around her in a fierce embrace.

"Eidra, you will be the death of me, this I do swear." He pulled her face to his and kissed her lips, tasting the salt of her tears threatening to start his own. "We must prepare for the journey and you must trust me, do as I say, ken?"

"I ken, my heart."

Loki gave her his arm, "Come, Thor waits at the stables."

Brenna had fallen into a doze on the bed when the knock on the door startled her. "Come in." She called and the door swung open to let Chase and Brian inside.

"Girl you gotta learn, ask who is it before you say come on in." Brian waved a finger at her. "Y'all don't know who might be on the other side."

"I am sorry, I shall endeavor to be more careful." She sat up and smoothed her dress.

"And geez, you talk like a SAT test, you gots to relax."

"Bri, ease up man." Chase punched him in the arm, "We came to get you for dinner in the dining hall. I figured you'd be pretty hungry by now."

Brenna nodded, "Starving." She stood up, "Lead on, good sir."

She tried to recall how to return to her room as they turned down one corridor, down a flight of stairs, into another corridor to a set of double doors which had been propped open. The din coming from the room beyond was deafening and she edged closer to Chase as they entered. "I'll help you pick out your food. What do you like?"

Brenna was aware that people were staring at her, "Do I look strange? I should have asked for a change of clothes. I am sorry."

Chase laughed and put his arm around her shoulder, "You just got in, screw them if they can't find anything better to do than stare at you." He made a gesture towards a table of guys who were agog and they returned it with equal flare, though he realized they may have been staring for other reasons besides curiosity. She was beautiful, and he felt proud to have her on his arm.

"You gave them the finger!" She cried as they passed the table.

"That you know? It's sorta like only knowing the swear words in a foreign language isn't it. Must be a universal greeting or something." Chase directed her towards the line before a row of glass topped cabinets behind which stood a few ladies with spoons or knives.

"It seems like a buffet, does it not?" Brenna peered down the line. Chase handed her a tray. Put this on the metal shelf when it's our turn and just tell them what you want to eat."

"Avoid the meatloaf." Brian whispered in her ear.

As they inched closer, she could see the metal pans which held hot food, the ladies dishing out the contents onto plate after plate. "What is there to eat?"

"Well do you like chicken?"

Brenna smiled, "Very much."

"How about mac and cheese?" Chase craned his neck to see further, "Or maybe stuffing?"

"I have never heard of mac and cheese. Is it good? I mean I like cheese. We make it on our farm." Brenna could feel the heat coming off the metal cabinets.

"Yeah, they make it pretty good here, none of that yellow box shit, the real deal. I'll order for you." Chase looked at the lady behind the counter who was waiting, hand on her hip. "I'll have two orders of the chicken and mac and cheese, please."

The lady took two plates and set them before her, "Light or dark meat?"

"Light please," He looked at Brenna,

"Oh, um light please."

The lady eyed her, "New here, honey?"

"Yes I am, thank you."

She nodded, "I can tell, you still got your manners about you."

"Aw now Barbra that's not fair, I have manners..." Chase teased as Barbara rolled her eyes at him and handed over the plates.

They slid the trays down further while Brian ordered his food. Before them were a myriad of desserts. "Sweets, you like sweets where you come from?"

"I do but these are not like any sweets I have seen before. We eat more fruit, we sweeten with honey and maple, molasses, sugar."

Chase pointed to two dishes, "Bread pudding please."

He winked at Brenna who giggled, "You'll like this, trust me. Brian, we're going to find a table."

"Go on, I'll be right there." He replied and Brenna followed Chase into the maze of tables until they found a vacant one with enough seats. "You stay, I'll get the silverware." He started away then turned back, "Ah I forgot drinks, what would you like?"

"I usually drink water or cider."

"Water then, I don't think we've got cider here. I'll be right back."

He passed Brian, pointing out the table to him. Brenna nodded as Brian sat down with his tray. "Goodness, you eat like my Uncle Christopher."

"Does he eat a lot?"

She nodded, watched him tuck a napkin under his chin.

"Well then y'all can call me Chris cause I like to eat."

She smiled, she was beginning to like her new found friends immensely even if there were plenty of times she didn't understand them.

Chase returned with silverware and handed a set to her. "Go ahead, try your dinner."

She knew how the chicken would taste, but the mac and cheese was another thing altogether. She poked into the warm steamy mass with her fork and held it up to her face, sniffed it. "It smells like cheese."

"Whoa, you kidding?" Brian cried, "I can't believe it, they put cheese in they mac and cheese!"

She got to giggling then, until she had to put her fork down. "You are so funny, Brian."

Brian smiled wide, "I know, I know, it's part of my killer charm."

Chase poked Brian in the ribs, "And it's the same part that always gets him into trouble. Now let the girl eat."

Brenna finally managed to get a forkful of the mac and cheese to her mouth, blew on it a couple times and took a bite, then another and another until it was gone.

"You gonna lick the plate too?" Brian asked.

"It was wonderful, I have never had anything like it!" She started to pull apart her chicken.

"Well one thing for sure, she's easy to please." He nudged Chase who turned pink, catching his implications.

"Shut up, Bri, you got a big mouth."

Brian tore off a piece of his chicken, "All the better to eat with."

Brenna watched the boys eat. She had made the right choice to follow Chase. So far, so good.


	14. Chapter 14

Thor glanced at Eidra and shook his head. He had taken Loki aside upon hearing that Eidra was to accompany them. He had chided Loki for not having demanded that Eidra remain behind in Asgard. Loki had countered that it would have been no different, had the roles been reversed and Sif been the one to stay in Asgard and Thor had agreed. However, he had added, it still did not negate the fact that Eidra should stay behind.

Heimdall stood before them, eying Eidra. "The woman should stay here."

Thor turned to Loki and gave him a hard stare but Loki ignored him, "Does this mean you will not open the Bifrost for us?"

Heimdall looked to Thor who waved his hand at the great stone doors. He pivoted on his feet then, and taking hold of the iron rings, pulled the doors open, "It would seem not. Where does my King wish to go?"

"Midgard, Manhattan."

Heimdall paused, "Specifically?"

"The offices of S.H.I.E.L.D." Thor shifted from foot to foot, wanting to pace, holding himself still.

Heimdall waved his sword across the opening and stepped back. The air shimmered before them, and Eidra was reminded of the Uruz as the top of a square stone mountain rose into view. She could see a large white circle had been painted atop it. Her hand slid into Loki's and squeezed it as the rush of warm air from the portal pushed his hair from his face. "Are you sure you wish to go with us?" He turned his head to look at her.

She could see the mountain rising higher, getting closer. "Yes, now let us go before I do lose my nerve." and she was being led forward between the gates, the last step from the Bifrost being the first step onto the platform at the top of the office building. The wind hit her full force, buffeting her dress about her as she stared, wide eyed around the skyline at the immense buildings that seemed to inhabit every square inch of earth as far as her eye could see. Thor saw her consternation and gave her a wry grin, "Welcome to Earth."

"Sir,"

Fury looked up at the agent standing in his doorway, "What?" He rubbed his temples. Trying to ward off a headache that had started the moment he woke up that morning.

"We have a perimeter breach on the roof."

Fury stood up, suddenly alert, "Have you sent a welcome party?" He headed past the agent, a young man with dull brown hair and gray eyes.

"Yes, sir. One of the visitors has been identified as the operative, Thor."

"One of? There's more than one? Goddamn it...who else?"

As they made the bottom of the stairs leading into the second landing bay, the door to the building interior slid open and out filed a line of agents, guns drawn and trained on them.

Thor held up his hands, "We are on a peaceful mission. Sheath your weapons!"

Loki, seeing the agents, guns drawn, had taken Eidra in his arms, putting her head to his chest, looking for a way to protect her from harm. "This was your opinion of a good idea?" Loki hissed at Thor, pulling Eidra closer to him.

"Trust me." Thor replied as the door opened again and Fury strode through.

"Thor, I didn't know you were coming. Is this a sightseeing tour? Family vacation." He made sure to catch Loki's eye as he spoke.

"No, it is a dire situation, we have need of your expertise." Thor waved his hand at the agents, "Please, director, he comes in peace, to beg your help."

"Beg," Loki cried, "How dare you suggest I beg for anything here on Midgard."

"I see he's as charming as ever." Fury chuckled, walked up to him. "What could I possibly do for you that I haven't already done?"

Scenes played through Loki's mind, the cage, the cuffs, the blinding pain, the fear and anger as the city crumbled about him. If he tried hard enough, he could feel the hard metal of the scepter as if it was still in his hand.

"I need your help." Loki replied, his hand stroking Eidra's hair for comfort. "I need to find my daughter, she has gone missing." at his words, he felt his throat constrict and burn and he swallowed.

"And you're here because?"

"We think she is here on earth." Thor approached Fury.

Fury peered at Loki, "Is she anything like you?"

Loki shook his head, straining to "She is an innocent. She is but fourteen seasons."

Fury turned back to Thor. "And how in the hell did she get here to Earth, the Bifrost?"

Loki heard Eidra whisper then, "Oh Thor, please do not tell him." and he glanced down at her, amazed at how quickly she was catching on.

"We believe so." Thor's gaze never wavered and Loki felt a wave of gratitude wash over him.

Fury stood silent.

"Will you help us?" Thor looked about the room at the agents still on their guard, guns aimed.

Fury held up his hand and Loki watched the guns lower until they were pointing at the floor though they kept them drawn. Finally Fury walked over to him and stood, hands behind his back. "Who is this young lady?"

Loki eased his hold on Eidra as she backed away and stood upright. "She is my wife, Eidra."

"The mother of your daughter, I gather?"

"Yes."

Fury stared at her, taking in her condition, his eyes flitting to Loki then to Thor.

"Come with me."

He was on his stomach, sprawled across his bed, on the very edge of sleep.

"Sir?"

He opened one eye, "If you're not Pepper holding a very dry martini, I'm not in."

"Sir, I believe this is important."

He rolled over onto his back and stared at the ceiling, "Jarvis what could possibly be more important than my much needed rest? I've been going for the last twenty hours."

"You told me to inform you if I detected the presence of certain people in the immediate area."

He rose to his elbows, looking about the darkened bedroom. "How immediate?"

"Within two miles, sir."

He sat up, "Good then at least I have enough time. Where is this certain person?"

"Current location, conference room two, third floor, S.H.I.E.L.D."

He tilted his head, "Now for the kicker, who is it?"

"Loki, sir."

Tony was scrambling to pull his slacks on, scanning the room for his jacket.

"Shall I prepare the suit, sir?"

"Who's..." He shrugged into his jacket which he'd grabbed from the hook on the bathroom door. "With him?"

"The S.H.I.E.L.D., operative Thor and a woman, approximate age twenty-eight, identity unknown."

Tony paused, "Keep the suit on standby."

"Very good sir, I have ordered the limousine to the door."

"You're a good man...machine...right...wish me luck."

There was a metallic sigh, "Good luck, sir."

Loki pulled out a chair and guided Eidra into it, kneeling beside her. Fury had brought them to a large room with mirrored walls. A long black table surrounded by black padded chairs dominated most of the available space. Fury had then taken Thor from the room to speak with him and so they were alone.

"This place is so strange, doors that open by themselves, people wearing such strange clothing, pictures that move inside."

"Ah computers, yes, this is why I wished you to stay home. It is a frightening place for one who has never seen it."

"I cannot imagine how it must seem to Brenna, Loki we have to find her soon. She must be so scared."

He held her hand, caressing it, "If she had been afraid, would she not have come home by now?"

Eidra pulled his hand to her breast, held it there over her heart, "What if she cannot come home, what if something has happened..."

He raised his hand then, putting his fingers to her lips, "Nothing has happened to her. I will find her and we will go home together."

"Promise me?"

He smiled, "I will bring her home. This I swear to you."

A knock on the door caught their attention. The door slid open and in stepped a short, pretty blond woman in a gray suit identical to the ones the agents that had accompanied them to the room had been wearing. She had her hair tied back in a bun and as she approached them, Loki could see the strap of a side holster peeking from under her jacket. She stopped short of them and clasped her hands before her. "Director Fury will be in presently. My name is Lily and I have been assigned to address any needs you might have during your stay here."

Loki stood, his hand sliding up Eidra's arm until it rested on her shoulder but Lily didn't flinch.

"Ah yes, there is a Midgardian word for you, what is it? Oh, I have it, a babysitter."

Lily smiled congenially at him, "Call it what you will." She turned her attention to Eidra noting the look of irritation she was currently directing at Loki and her heart went out to her. _I hear you, sister, _ she said to herself.

"Ma'am, let me see if I can get you a more comfortable chair. These here are designed to keep the occupants awake and alert." Without waiting for a reply, she exited the room to Debriefing, two doors down the hall, grabbing one of the interviewer chairs which were well padded as opposed to the chairs used by the interviewees.

When she returned to the room, Loki was sitting beside Eidra holding her hand again. She couldn't help but compare the scene before her with the classified files that she had watched countless times over the years since the attack on the city. She wheeled the chair beside the one Eidra was sitting in and offered her hand to help Eidra up but Loki glared at her until she backed away as he, with exceeding tenderness, brought Eidra to her feet and eased her into the new chair.

Lily stood apart from them, waiting, until Eidra spoke up. "This is much better, thank you, and please forgive my husband, he tends toward rudeness in unfamiliar stiuations."

Loki folded his arms across his chest. "Eidra, that is simply not true. I prefer to think of my actions as cautious, guarded, if you will."

Lily watched the interaction between them, his countenance bespeaking utter devotion to the woman before him and she shrugged, _Even Hitler had his Eva. _She was about to ask them if they needed anything else when the door slid open again and Fury and Thor filed in, Thor's face looked grave as Fury headed towards Loki, about to speak when the door slid open yet again and Tony Stark trotted into the room, stopping dead in his tracks when he spied Loki who was staring at him with unbridled hatred.

"And what brings you here?" Stark strode up to him, "Prison barge?"

"Stark!" Fury growled, "This was a closed meeting."

Stark turned to Fury and smiled, "And I respect that so I came alone." He returned his attention to Loki, "Now don't tell me, let me guess. You're on vacation and you forgot your passport? You should have those things in order before you travel between realms."

"Tony," Thor grumbled, taking a step towards him as he held up a hand, "Now wait a minute, I do have a legitimate question. What in actual hell are you doing here?"

Lily kept Fury in her peripheral vision even as she focused on Loki and Tony, her hand hovering over her holster. Fury, however, gave no indication for alarm yet, he even seemed slightly amused.

Eidra had listened to the exchange, knew Loki was past his point as she saw his hands open and she stood as swiftly as she could, facing the man everyone was calling Stark. "If you speak to my husband again with such disrespect, you shall answer to me."

"Eidra!" Loki cried, "Sit down, the baby..."

"Is fine, Loki." She finished for him, "I will not stand by and listen to this stranger belittle you."

Tony gave Fury a double take and pushed past Loki to Eidra, Lily saw Fury's nod and she unstrapped her revolver, ready.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name, my dear." He took her hand and kissed it, missing her eyes as they widened and she fixed Loki with a look to wither as he started forward, reaching for Tony's shoulder, "I could have sworn you called this one-man funhouse here, your husband."

She could hear Loki's ragged breath in her ear as he took her hand from Tony's grasp, "You heard correctly, Stark, and if you ever again lay so much as a finger upon my wife, I will snap your neck."

Tony's face fell for a fraction of a second, his smile rebounding to his lips as he reached out and touched his fingertip to Eidra's shoulder. All at once, Eidra was between them, pushing against Loki's chest, shouting behind herself at Tony, "Are you completely mad?"

Fury continued to remain silent until Thor caught his eye and he muttered, "For someone who's looking for help, he's off to a bad start."

"Brother!" Thor called to him, "Calm yourself, remember why we are here."

Loki glared at Tony for a moment longer, then put his arm around Eidra, pulling her aside and sitting her down. As he did so, Tony gave Fury a nod, receiving a roll of his eye in return.

"Well that was fun, now tell me, why are you here? Not for a second attempt I hope, I'd hate to pull Banner away from his assignment in Honolulu."

"He's looking for his daughter." Fury piped up and watched as Tony's jaw dropped; he rubbed his forehead.

"A daughter? How old? Tell me she's nothing like you."

Loki bit back his retort, aware that so much hinged on his self control now, "She is nearly fifteen seasons."

"Years you mean, so now let me get this straight. You fucked shit up here in New York, got taken out, brought home to prison, and it would seem, was allowed conjugal visits. Am I following this right? You got busy, and had a family and now you've lost track of your child?"

Loki sneered at him, "There is much you do not know of me and it would be beyond your kenning."

"Well I ken one thing pal," Tony had returned to his former position, inches away from Loki, "You were a poor excuse for an all powerful demigod, and you seem to be an even poorer excuse for a father."

Loki's fist shot out before Lily could even react. Tony stumbled backwards, hand to his nose, feeling the warmth of the blood in his hand, saw Lily, her hands outstretched, the gun drawn and he waved it down though she kept it up. "No no, honey, I deserved it, don't fault him."

He saw that Eidra was now standing again, stroking Loki's cheek and whispering as he stared right through him. Tony chuckled to himself, nose throbbing, add one more thing to the bucket, getting bitch slapped by a god.

The sound of clapping drew their attention away from each other. Fury was walking towards them, "That was spectacular boys, almost as good as an episode of American Gladiator, almost." he glared at Stark, "Now that the pleasantries are finished, shall we continue with the damn meeting?"

Fury pointed to the chairs, "Sit down and just try to act civilized, and I'm directing that at you, Stark."

Tony put his hands to his chest, feigning surprise as Loki leaned forward, elbows on the table, staring straight ahead. Tony could see Eidra rubbing his back and was left to wonder just what kind of a spell he had her under.

Fury sat down at the head of the table and leaned back in the chair. "First things first, we can't exactly look for your daughter unless we have a picture of her to go by. I don't suppose you got any Polaroids on you?"

Loki tilted his head and Tony said, "Pictures, you know photos?"

"Pictures, ah, we have a family painting at home,"

"Sorry that's not going to help us here," Tony interjected.

"I am aware of that, if you will stop your endless chatter, I will show you what I do have."

Loki raised his hand, palm outstretched before him as he passed his hand before his face, "Brenna jeg ønsker å se på bildet før meg."

Brenna's face at once hung in the air before them, transparent but clear. Tony raised his wrist, holding out a small wristband. "Jarvis, did you catch that image?"

"Yes sir, I am enhancing it as we speak. We should be able to start searching for the girl in less than three minutes."

Tony, amused as Loki looked about the room while Jarvis was speaking, nodded to Fury. "See, no need to put out the milk cartons with her picture on them. We'll have her location pinned down in no time."

"I'll hold you to that." Fury eyed him as he sat up straight in one of the chairs and looked to Loki.

"Trust me, this will soon be just another unpleasant memory."


	15. Chapter 15

After dinner, Chase and Brian gave Brenna a tour of the school, showing her where the classrooms were, more dorms like the one she'd been brought to after her meeting with Miss Munro, the gymnasium with it's rows of bleachers, basketball hoops and large trampoline which Chase had given her a lift to. They'd had a hard time getting her back down afterwards, so much fun was she having on it.

They showed her the indoor pool next, she had called it an indoor pond which Chase thought was cute; he didn't bother to correct her. They brought her to the recreation room with its ping pong, foosball and air hockey tables, chess and checker sets. There were stuffed couches and easy chairs all around the room. Stacks of board games sat on a high shelf built into one wall spaced between high arched windows made to let maximum light into the room during the day. Brenna pointed to one game, "Scrabble, what is that?"

"Oh its a game where you use tiles to make words and your opponent builds a word off of a letter in your word...we'll play it later."

She stared in awe at the immense plasma TV on another wall. When Brian turned it on, she jumped back, nearly tripping over Chase who walked her up to the screen and had her touch it.

"See, it's only a picture. Images are recorded somewhere else and projected here into the receiver and then you have no idea what I'm talking about..." He watched her trace her finger around the screen, taking it all in.

"Amazing, I have never seen such wonders." She breathed.

"Man," Brian shook his head, "You living in the dark ages girl. You gots to get out more."

They brought her to the Great room, a dark paneled room with bright couches before a large fireplace, bookshelves, reading lamps, a few round tables scattered about. "This is where students usually receive visitors, you know, their family when they come to visit."

Brenna looked about the room, trying to imagine her parents standing before the fireplace, arms open wide and found it was an impossible scene to conjure in her head.

"Do your families ever come to visit you?"

Brian nodded, "All the damn time, they a bit embarrassing. My brothers, they eight years old and they twins. Nothing is safe. We had to search the whole school one time because they ducked and ran from my momma. Took us two hours to find them."

She looked at Chase, "And yours?"

He stared at the floor for a second, "Ah my dad's really busy. He doesn't have time to see me. Half the time I stay here on the holidays because he's always working, performing some miraculous surgery, or meeting with senators or something."

"I am sorry, Chase." She put her hand on his arm, "Holidays are like our festivals, our blots, correct?"

Chase shoved his hands in his pockets, "Festivals, yeah I guess so."

"Well that is a time for family and loved ones to be together, it is not meet that you should be alone at such important times. I will be your family here. You can teach me all about your festivals and we can celebrate them."

"Is she for real?" Brian laughed, stopping short as he saw Chase's face, "Aw here we go."

They showed her the laundry where students did their clothes and Chase laughed as she looked to the ceiling and said, "But where do they hang their things to dry?"

They showed her the auditorium where they explained to her about the plays and skits the school Drama club would perform during the year.

"Ah, my brother and I would perform little plays for my mother. Sometimes Helgi our housekeeper would join us." She paused, "I already miss my mother."

Chase draped his arm around her shoulder, "It's not easy being alone in a new place but we'll watch out for you here. That's what it's all about at this school. We stick together."

They guided her through the lecture halls, amphitheaters with descending rows of desks surrounding the lectern at the ground floor, and then they moved outside to the grounds.

"This is the school garden." Chase waved his hand at a vast plot of land situated behind the school, facing a small lake. It was in full bloom. She could see corn stalks, pea vines, tomato plants, carrot tops just starting to poke out of the ground. A group of teens, boys as well as girls, were in the garden working. A couple of girls saw them and put their heads together to talk as they picked tomatoes.

"Will I be allowed to work in the garden as well?"

Chase looked to Brian and shrugged, "I guess so, we all have to take a turn. It's required by the school. The garden and the animals," He pointed to a large red barn a distance away, closer to the lake, "Are part of our food supply. Miss Munro says it teaches us to be self sustainable so if something drastic happens, at least we wouldn't starve."

Brenna bent down to finger the leaf on a corn stalk, "Of course, how else would you get your food?"

Brian turned to her, "Now hold up, hold everything. You ain't gonna tell me you ain't got no grocery stores where you come from. Where you get your bread and milk and things like that?"

Brenna stared at him. "We make those things ourselves. We back and cook and harvest. On occasion we have excess which we bring to market.."

"Aha," Brian cried, "So you do got markets."

"Of course we do. My mother and Helgi sew but we are not weavers, we buy our cloth from Ren. We get our harnesses and farm tools from the town blacksmith."

Brian slapped Chase on the back, "Dude we have got to take her to Wal-Mart."

Logan scratched his beard. "So your only problem with this kid is whether or not her daddy is gonna come and tear apart the school to get her?"

Kurt sat on Ororo's desk, his tail twitching impatiently. "She is a runaway."

Logan sat down opposite Kurt in one of the easy chairs, "Well maybe she had a good reason to run away, didja ever think of that?"

Ororo was writing but she stopped. "We have, all of us, been on the run at one time or another, that doesn't make it right despite the reason." She put her head down on her arms, her voice muffled, "Nevertheless, it's not like we can march her right back to where she came from."

Logan tapped Ororo on the back of the head, "Have you guys considered that she might be lying in the first place?"

Ororo turned her head to the side so that she was staring up at him sideways. "About what? Being a mutant?"

"About all of it, claiming she comes from another world, having a psychopath for a father. The mutant theory we can test. The rest is up for conjecture unless you have a direct line with the next universe over."

"Ve can check der database for der U.S. Missing Children bureau. Ve can at least find out if she is listed as missing."

Ororo nodded, "I'm going to get right on it before I go any further with this. I've talked to Nala and told her to get ready for an extra student tomorrow in student orientation. If we don't find her in the database, we can at least give her something to occupy herself while we do a bit more research."

"Where is she now?" Logan hopped up from the chair, "I'd like to meet her."

Eidra looked about the quarters they'd been given for the evening. Everything was so alien to her, the baby had been restless since their arrival, and then when Thor arrived at the door to take Loki with him somewhere, she felt like crying. A few minutes later, however, there was a knock on the door and when she asked who it was, she was relieved to hear it was the agent who had been in the conference room.

"Come in please." She replied, hoping she didn't sound as panicked as she was.

The door slid open and Lily stepped inside, "I see the boys left you all alone."

"Yes," she groaned, "And I am so very lost here in this realm. This is all foreign to me."

Eidra was sitting on a short couch and Lily sat down beside her, "Well what would you like to know? Ask me anything."

"Anything? I might as well ask you everything as I know so little."

Lily smiled, "Follow me, I'll show you how everything works."

They spent the next half hour touring around the little apartment on sub level three. Eidra was delighted with the faucets in the sink, explaining that she had to pump water into a stone basin in Asgard. "Mind you I am not complaining, it is all I know,"

As Lily showed her around, Eidra began to feel comfortable enough to talk to her and when Lily asked when the baby was due, Eidra put her hand over her belly, "Two more moons at the most, I can feel the baby running out of room."

"Moons? Months right?"

"If that means one full moon to the next, yes."

Lily nodded, watched Eidra smile down at her belly. "Oh she is an acrobat."

Eidra looked up at Lily, "Would you like to feel her?"

Lily hesitated, one of the first rules as an agent was to remain at a professional distance but babies were a particular weakness with her. She and her boyfriend, Jack, had been trying for a baby for a year now. She gently placed her hand on Eidra's stomach and was thrilled to feel what she thought could have been a foot rub against her palm. Eidra took notice of her beaming smile. "Do you have any children of your own?"

Lily took her hand away, "No, I've been trying for a baby but no luck so far. Do you know what you're having? You called the baby, her."

Eidra rubbed her belly slowly, "I just know. I am not sure how."

They walked into the bedroom where a large full sized bed dominated the room.

"Do you have other children at home?"

Eidra nodded, "I have a son, Fenris. He is seven seasons. I would have had two sons but my son Silas was born too early and did not live long."

"I'm sorry,"

Eidra put a hand on Lily's arm, "It was a blessing, the poor dear suffered while he lived. He was a moon too early."

"Only a month? There was nothing they could do for him there?"

"No, why?"

"Here on...Earth I guess, what do you call us?"

"Midgard,"

"Midgard, then, a baby born three...moons early has a chance to survive. A month early is definitely doable."

Eidra's eyes widened, "Truly? How?"

"Hospitals, you have doctors don't you?"

"Clotho is the palace physician, I doubt even he could have saved his life. This is some kind of magic is it not?"

Lily shook her head, "Some might think it is but it's just critical care, medicine, support."

Eidra seemed to be thinking to herself. "Thank you for that information. I should talk to Loki about it."

It was Lily's turn to pry though she knew she shouldn't but the woman was proving to be an enchanting guest. She so often had to deal with unpleasant people when she was assigned in these situations.

"How did you meet Loki?"

Eidra sat down on the bed, "I served him. I was a tribute to Thor and he gambled me in a contest with Loki. Loki won."

"You were a gambling chip?"

"No I was a servant, they gambled my servitude."

Lily sat down beside her, "But you're not a servant now right?"

She looked down at her belly, "Am I not? I cook and clean, take care of my children, help on the farm...I just do it for me and my family not someone else. Does that make sense?"

Lily laughed, "Then I guess we're all servants aren't we."

Eidra smiled, "Now you are following me."

"How long have you been married?"

"Six seasons," She smoothed her dress and leaned back on her hands. "My back hurts so."

"You should try that bathtub in there, take a soak. I know it won't help what's going on right now but maybe it'll help your back."

Eidra peered into the bathroom, "I might consider it later, though with any luck we will not be here long if you will forgive me. I wish to find my daughter and return home."

Lily held up her hands, "No, no, don't blame you. I'm from Maine and I'd love to be there right now."

"Maine..."

"It's a state in New England...um...let me think...another kingdom, does that make better sense?"

Eidra smiled again, "It does, you seem to ken me."

"I read a lot of fantasy and science fiction books, you learn to speak the language in a way."

Lily laughed at Eidra's blank expression, "So what do you hope the baby will be?"

Eidra traced the curve of her stomach, "I had hoped for another boy first but it is a girl, I know it. We will just have to try again."

Lily put her hand to her forehead, "How many children are you planning to have?"

"I do not know, I would love another boy just to make it even."

"Wow, I'm only one of two and I thought that was plenty."

They were still sitting on the bed talking when they heard the door in the living area slide open and Loki's voice, "Eidra?"

They stood up and walked out of the bedroom to find Loki and Thor standing there in the middle of the room. When Loki caught sight of Lily, he glared at her.

"Eidra, they are looking for Brenna. I do not wholly ken their technology as they call it, but they said it would take time and that we should try to get some sleep. I suggested their child go missing and see how much rest they would get."

Eidra frowned, "Loki, why must you view every suggestion as a personal challenge? Could you simply not say thank you and leave it at that?"

"And that is also what I told him." Thor added.

Loki folded his arms and sat down on the couch as Eidra mimicked him, "And now you will fall to sulking." Loki dropped his gaze to the floor but said nothing and Lily took the silence as her opportunity.

"I'll let you two alone, Eidra, remember the intercom I showed you in the panel beside the door? Don't hesitate to use it if you need anything."

Eidra looked at Loki again, "I will, thank you so much for your help and your company, both were greatly appreciated."

Lily motioned to Thor to follow her and he nodded, "Brother, I will fetch you as soon as we hear anything about Brenna."

When the door had finally closed behind them, Eidra took Loki's hand and pulled him up from the couch. "The hour is growing late, come lay down for a bit if only to re-center yourself."

He allowed himself to be led into the bedroom and was soon lying on his side, Eidra curled up behind him, rubbing his back and humming softly.

She thought he had dozed off, so quiet had he become when he spoke, "What if they do not find her?"

"Then we travel to another realm, and another until we do but they will find her. I think you are right."

He was quiet again, then, "What if we never..." He stopped, unable to say anything more.

She felt his breathing change, become more uneven, his distress throwing him into a panic and she pulled him closer, as close as she could. "We will find her and that is that. Put all other thoughts out of your head, my love."

"Perhaps I should have let her stay at the palace for a few moons. She would have turned from it soon enough on her own."

She fought her own grief down as she held him, "Stop, this was no one's fault and we will soon remedy it. Rest."

Eventually she felt the tension drain from his body and knew he was asleep. She lay there staring at his back for a long time until she joined him.


	16. Chapter 16

Miles away, Brenna had been attempting to fall asleep herself but the events of the day were overwhelming her. The biggest question on her mind once everyone had left her alone for the night, were what her parents were thinking right now, where they were, if they were upset. She frowned, of course they were upset. Her mother was probably beside herself. That thought alone nearly put her feet on the floor. She touched the Uruz at her throat. Her father, however, was likely ready to kill her. He had a temper at the best of times, she shuddered to think of what would happen if he ever found her.

She burrowed deeper into the covers, thinking of what the professor called Logan had said to her. They had been what Chase had called chilling in the gymnasium, sitting on the long benches, when Logan found them. He'd sat down and told her that she would start something called orientation on the morrow but that she best be prepared for a surprise.

"I gotta tell ya, we are checking the internet for any missing children bulletins out on you. If they find one, they have to tell the police so if you're lying to us, ya might want to reconsider telling us the truth."

Although she didn't know what an internet was, outside of the computer Chase had shown her, she was adamant about her story. Logan had stared at her and she thought he was trying to gauge her sincerity. Finally he had explained that Chase would fetch her in the morning and bring her to class, the teacher would take it from there.

Despite her fear of the unknown, worry about her parents, missing home, she was actually excited to learn more about this realm. It was full of wonders and she intended to learn what she could about them, including Chase.

She sighed, he was so handsome. A little awkward at times and even that was sweet. She wondered if maybe he liked her. He'd been so helpful and whenever she smiled at him he would go red in the face. She pulled the blankets closer to her and closed her eyes, desperate for the next day of her new life to begin.

Fury had just lain his head down on the pillow on the couch in his office. He couldn't recall when he had last seen his own bed in his apartment in lower Manhattan. The click of the intercom made him glance at his watch, it was nearly six-thirty in the morning, "Gonna be a long day."

"Director Fury?"

Fury scratched his head, "Yes?"

"We think we may have located the girl. Are you available to come to the tech lab?"

Fury sat up, "On my way."

The computer technician, a short, gaunt man with spiked brown hair and wire framed glasses which magnified his amber eyes, spun around in his chair when Fury entered the room. "What have you got Claude?"

He watched the technician, noting his ghostly pallor as he started to punch the keys on the keyboard and thought to himself, _son you need to get out more often'_ .

"We cross referenced recent name searches when the face recognition software failed to find her after the sighting in Grand Central Terminal. We then found there had been a search conducted at the U.S. Missing Persons database for a Brenna, no last name listed."

Fury stared at the screen. "And where was the search done from?"

"Well," The technician punched a few more keys, and a map appeared that was all too familiar to him.

"We obtained the IP address and found the computer used to conduct the search is located at a private school in Westchester county, maybe an hour out of the city if the traffic cooperates. We have a physical address here."

"No need, I want a car ready in fifteen."

The strange chirp woke her from a deep sleep. The room was nearly pitch black save for dim lights which lit the baseboards around the bedroom. She tried to clear the fog from her mind, recalling what Lily had told her to do. She sat up with the next chirp and it came to her, "Lights, half power."

Warm light flooded the quarters and Loki stirred beside her. She rose from the bed slowly. She ached all over. "Come in," She called as she walked into the living area.

The door slid open and Thor was quickly inside, looking as if he too had just awakened. He had changed his clothes. He was wearing a shirt with a jacket and a pair of slacks, his hair tied back and he had what looked like a dark suit similar to what the agents wore, draped over his arm. He sailed past her into the bedroom.

"Loki, brother, get up."

Eidra had followed him back into the bedroom and now stood listening. Loki started awake and pushed himself up on his elbows, squinting at the lights. Thor threw the garments to him. "Get dressed. They believe they have found Brenna."

Eidra began to search for her shoes as Loki hurried to dress, aided by Thor on what he called confounded buttons. As they trotted back into the living area, Thor saw Eidra waiting by the door. "You must stay here."

When she started to argue with him, he held up his hand. "I had to swear an oath so they would allow Loki to accompany us and they agreed only on the condition that you stay here."

"But why? I am her mother!"

Loki could see the tears in her eyes and he cupped her face with his hands, "It is because with you here, they know I will return."

She looked at him, perplexed, "Even if I had gone with you, would you not return?"

Loki nodded, kissed her forehead, "Yes, my heart, but they do not trust me at my word. I will bring her back, I promise."

Her bottom lip began to tremble and he stroked it with a thumb, "I will ask Fury to send that woman agent to sit with you so you will not be alone."

Eidra could only nod for fear she would lose control if she spoke but as the door closed behind them, she collapsed on the couch, holding her belly and rocking back and forth, eyes closed, mind locked on the thought that soon they would all be home and this would only be an unpleasant memory.

Brenna was already up when the knock on the door came that morning, she had been searching in her pack for her comb. She opened the door to find a pretty young woman with short dark brown hair and eyes the color of ebony standing there with a clipboard and an armful of clothes.

"Hi, I'm Grace. I'm the house mother. I take care of the dorms and the students, I enforce the rules, organize schedules, and occasionally loose my mind."

Brenna smiled and stepped back as Grace entered the room.

"Did you sleep well?"

Brenna hesitated, "I suppose I did once I was able to sleep. Everything is so new and different that I lay there for a long time just staring out the window thinking."

Grace dropped the armful of clothes onto her bed, "It's scary being in a new place."

She held her clipboard in the crook of one arm and surveyed the clothes, "I asked Chase to take an educated guess on your size since I wasn't at the school yesterday when you arrived so I might be a bit off."

Grace watched as Brenna stood brushing her hair with an ivory comb, "I see you showered already."

"Bathed actually, the shower frightened me."

Grace blinked once, "Okay let's see what we have for you to wear."

Brenna stopped and stared at the pile of clothes. "I thought I would wear the dress I brought."

Grace assessed her again, "The dress is lovely." And it was, Grace had taken note of the fine stitching and rich fabric as soon as she walked in, she also noted that the dress wouldn't look out of place in a stage production of "Robin Hood." either. She glanced at her clipboard, wishing they'd given her more information about Brenna. "But the dress is in an old style and I want you to fit in with the other students."

"Fit in?"

Grace chewed her lip, "Okay, I want the other students to accept you as a student too and the style of clothing is important to teenagers in this day and age."

Brenna nodded, "I ken. It is akin to a horse in a pasture full of cows. The horse stands out because it is a horse."

Grace tilted her head, "Good analogy...I think..." She picked up a dress from the bed, her clipboard under her arm, "How about this one?" As she was holding it up, Brenna looked her attire over. Grace was wearing a pair of black slacks and a fitted red t-shirt with a lacy white wrap over her shoulders. Even inside, the day was starting out warm.

Brenna took the dress from her hand, "Women dress like men here, It is confusing."

"The practice of keeping women in dresses went out ages ago. We dress how we like. You want to try pants and a shirt? I have a nice pair of jeans and a shirt here."

Brenna held up the dress. It was made of jersey fabric and it was a simple A-line dress in a powder blue. Minutes later she was standing in front of the dressing table with the hem in her hand, curtseying as she giggled, "It is so short, I am used to longer gowns. I feel practically improper."

Grace had to laugh, "If only all teenagers felt that way."

Grace had delivered her to the Great Hall to have breakfast, telling her she would return shortly to bring her to Orientation. She had looked about for Chase or Brian but they were nowhere to be seen and so she sat alone. She opted for the only items that looked familiar to her. A bowl of oatmeal and an apple but she could only finish half the bowl. She was simply too nervous to eat.

When Grace found her sitting with her head in her hands she asked her if she felt alright. "Yes, I just.."

"Nervous, I know, but there's nothing to be nervous about. Come on, bring your tray up to the dishwasher and lets get you to class."

As they neared the classroom, her heart felt like to beat out of her chest. She only hoped she could hold it together until she made it to a chair.

Grace opened up the door and ushered Brenna inside a half empty classroom. Students were standing in groups talking as class had not yet begun.

At a big desk sat a handsome looking woman with long white hair and cerulean blue skin. She was dressed like Miss Munro, in a gray suit jacket with a white shirt beneath and a black skirt. She was clearly out of proportion, bigger by far than Grace and herself. She was bent over the desk, reading papers. As they reached the desk, she looked up at them and Brenna realized she was wearing dark glasses. She smiled, removed them and stood up, kept standing in fact until she towered over them both by a good two feet. Her height alone would have been intimidating enough but Brenna recognized her for what she was. She had seen her race but twice in her life. Once when her mother had shown her the power of the Uruz and had called up the realms and she had watched the giants walking about a frozen landscape. The second time, she had been playing in the village with Silvan and Moran when a royal contingent of guards passed through with one of them chained in a large cart drawn by two horses.

She swallowed hard and held her tongue when the woman held out her hand, "I'm Nala Harding. Welcome to Orientation."

Brenna held out her own hand, watching as it was engulfed by Nala's. She shook it and her eyes flitted to Grace's who mouthed the word, "Nervous" to her. Nala let Brenna's hand go and then reached into a drawer in the desk and pulled out a book with the words "Student Handbook" on the front in gold letters, and a folder with papers in it. She handed them to Brenna and clasped her hands. "You're going to do just fine."

The black limousine sat idling in rush hour traffic. All of the occupants stared out the windows except Stark. He kept his gaze trained on Loki who wore a sneer on his face as he watched the people pass by on the sidewalk, the cars waiting beside them, lights flashing, listening to the sounds of horns honking, people yelling.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Stark tapped the glass and a pair of women looked towards the limo as if they'd heard him. "All those people coexisting happily, freely."

Loki kept watching, "Unbridled, without direction, chaotic, oh yes, and brutal."

"But that's the beauty of it." Stark leaned forward, "They're free to be brutal, or chaotic, or happy." He saw Thor give a shake of his head and was surprised to see he seemed to actually be agreeing with his brother.

"Unbridled freedom often turns into anarchy," Thor grumbled.

Tony raised an eyebrow, "Hey big guy, that's pretty insightful. I didn't know you were such a deep thinker."

Loki turned to his brother but spoke to Tony, "There is much you do not know of us, Stark."

The limo started to move again, drawing Loki's attention back to the window.

"So tell me, my psychotic friend, marriage, how did you manage that? I mean did you meet her in prison?" He watched Loki clench his hands into fists, "She's not some kind of ninja assassin right? She a princess? A mistress?"

"She is a lady." Loki muttered, unwilling to be drawn into the discussion but Tony saw Thor's face change and he continued, "A lady? Was she a noblewoman?"

Thor crossed his arms, Stark watched his jaw clench.

"No? What was she then? A lady of the evening? A servant?"

Loki's head snapped around, "She was a daughter of the House Denari. Her father was a member of the Alfari High Court. She is a lady!"

Tony's eyes shifted to Thor who was now staring at the carpet at his feet.

"So you did the French maid thing. That's stooping kinda low isn't it? Well, at least for the son of a King."

But for Thor's arm across his chest, Loki would have been upon Tony.

"Speak against my wife again and I promise you I will...!"

"What?" Tony interjected leaning further forward to him. "You'll what? Please give me a reason to turn this car around."

A window behind Stark's head slid open and one eye glared back at them, "What the fuck is going on back there? Do I hafta have one of you come sit up front...Stark?"

He didn't turn to face Fury, "No sir, just having a polite conversation."

Fury eyed Loki and Thor, "Well it's a damn loud conversation. Now why don't you all sit back and enjoy the ride?"

Loki shoved Thor's arm from him and sat back in the seat, returning Fury's gaze until he noticed the edges of his eyes crinkle as if he was smiling and the window slid shut. Once in a while, Loki, who had leaned his head back to the seat, would feel Stark's stare as if it was a palpable thing and he sought to control his anger as they edged ever closer to their destination.

Miss Harding proved to be engaging and understanding, even when Brenna motioned her over and whispered to her that she had no inkwell for her pen. Nala had taken a sheet of paper and written on it then whispered back, "No inkwell needed." The class had started going through the student handbook together though much was lost on her. The wording was so different from the books on Uncle Chris's shelf. She felt overwhelmed and was glad when Nala dismissed the other students but asked her to stay. She had so many questions to ask though she was still a bit intimidated by Nala.

"Miss Munro wanted you to be tested, she wanted to see how much you know so we can place you in the right classes though I think you're going to require a different technique."

She took a large sheaf of papers from one of the desk drawers and selected the top few papers, handing them to her. "I'd like you to read this short paragraph then we'll discuss it."

As far as Brenna could determine, it was about a dog named Skip who went to the store with his master, after that, it became hard to follow.

"Is a store like a market? Brian told me a market is like a place called Wal-Mart. The woman in the story worked in a restaurant. What is that?"

After about the tenth question, Nala stopped her, "Oh yes, a different approach altogether."

As Nala began to write on the paper before her, Brenna's curiosity got the best of her.

"I did not know the frost giants ever visited this realm. How did you come to be here?"

Nala's pen stopped moving and she looked up at Brenna, "Come again?"

Brenna was taken by surprise. She was clearly Jotun, could it be possible that she didn't know?

"You are of the race we call Frost or Ice giants, you are Jotun."

Nala sat back in her chair, "I was adopted when I was a month old."

"Have you ever met your real parents?"

Nala shook her head, "Never."

Brenna nodded, sympathetic, "I did not meet my real parents until I was seven and I was not told they were my parents until I reached ten seasons."

Nala put her fingers to her temples and rubbed them, "Look, no one knows who my real parents are...how could you..."

"My father told me things about the Jotun. They do not feel the cold. They are a race of giants...their world..."

"Okay, alright, then how would I have gotten here to this planet if that's the case?"

Brenna shrugged, "I confess I know not. I only know what I see before me."

Nala put her hands on the table, they were trembling, "I don't suppose you would have pictures of these..." She paused, "Giants?"

Brenna smiled and was about to draw the Uruz out of her dress when there came a knock on the door. They both turned, startled and saw Chase and Brian standing there. "We came to fetch the new girl." Chase said, "We were sent to bring her to the commissary for supplies and shit." Brian finished.

"Brian." Nala shook her head as he clapped his hand over his mouth, "Brenna, you are excused, we'll discuss this later."

Brenna grabbed her book and folder and followed Chase and Brian from the classroom with a wave. Nala looked at the phone sitting on her desk, thought of Garrett. He was likely out taking Biscuit for a walk but she knew she would call him repeatedly until he answered. She had to talk to him.

Chase took one bag, Brian the other as they headed out of the commissary to her room. "So what did you learn?" Chase prodded her.

"I wish I knew. I managed to ken the map that was in the book because you showed me around beforehand. I found that there are times for everything from meals to classes, to bed. I do not know how I will remember it all. I mean the names of the places and the people. There are so many things to learn."

They arrived at her room and put her bags on the dressing table and chair. "So you thinking on staying huh?" Brian sat down on the bed while she and Chase emptied the bags.

"Yes, I mean there is so much to learn here that I wonder if I will be able to learn it all but I must try."

"Don't try too hard or they gonna expect it from you all the time." Brian stood and held out his hands, "Here pile me up with stuff and I'll put it where it goes." Chase gave him things for the bathroom. Toothpaste and a brush, deodorant. Brian had chuckled when he set a package of sanitary pads on the pile, recalling her face as Chase had stammered his way through an explanation and she had replied, "We always used a folded cloth tied at our waists to catch our flow." Brian had laughed out loud but Chase had covered her mouth with his hand and said, "We don't talk about that stuff out loud, geez."

The small writing desk by the window in her room was the repository for a package of pens and pencils and a few notebooks, a pair of scissors and a set of brightly colored markers and a drawing pad she'd been attracted to. She looked at the clock Chase had told her to pick up and handed it to him. "You must make it work. I do not know how."

Chase returned to the desk and pulled out the scissors to open the packaging. "I'll set it for you."

A hard knock on the door made them jump. Brian opened it to find one of the student hall monitors, a boy named Jaden, standing there. "Miss Munro wants to see the new student in the Great Room."

The woman with white hair was talking heatedly with Fury, her back turned to him, gesturing around the room. Every few minutes, Fury would give him a look. Finally Loki stopped paying attention. He only wished to put an end to the whole affair and return home with his family intact. He turned to Thor and Stark who stood back from him, watching, and he resisted the urge to start pacing as they waited for Brenna to appear.

Brenna, Chase and Brian trotted down the main staircase that led to the large foyer. The Great room was to their left and they could see Miss Munro talking to a dark man wearing an eyepatch over one eye though his other eye made up in intensity for its missing twin. He had on a short black leather jacket and black pants and stood hands upon his hips as he listened to Miss Munro.

They stopped at the bottom of the stairs, "Anybody you know?" Brian asked her.

"Not at all. Could he be another professor?"

Chase and Brian shook their heads and Brian spoke up, "He ain't no professor I ever seen."

As they started forward towards the archway into the Great room, it all became suddenly surreal to her as she first spied her Uncle Thor standing beside a short man with dark brown short hair and dark glasses like Nala had worn. She turned her head to the left near the fireplace to lock eyes with her father who stood with his arms at his side, hands into fists and the strength nearly went out of her legs.

She had seen him angry before, he had yelled at her numerous times but the look on his face at this point was pure unbridled rage. Even from feet away, she could see his chest heaving as if he'd just run a race, mouth open, eyes following her every move. She wanted to turn and run. Behind her she heard Brian whisper to Chase, "Jesus, dude, you see who's standing in our goddamn school?" Then Miss Munro was ushering them out of the room, "Go on you two. This is private."

Brenna wanted desperately to keep Chase with her. She found she couldn't make her feet carry her any closer to her father who was now striding towards her. He stopped before her and in an even, flat voice said, "Give it to me."

Her throat felt as dry as if she had swallowed sand. "Father, I do not.."

His hand opened up before her, "GIVE IT TO ME!"

His shout echoed through the room and at once she knew what he was asking. She couldn't get the Uruz from around her neck fast enough. She dropped it in his outstretched hand and backed away a couple steps as he gripped the medallion hard into his fist, "You have not earned the right to wear this, and you most certainly do not deserve it now!"

He slipped it in the pocket of the suit he was wearing but his eyes never left hers, "What were you thinking, if you were thinking at all? You took something you had no right to."

"Mama said it would be mine someday...I.."

"YOU HAD NO RIGHT!" He had crossed the distance between them in seconds and she teetered backwards, "What if you had made a mistake? What if you had been found by the dregs of humanity that inhabit this realm? The drunkards, the criminals, humans who lie in wait to prey upon a young girl such as yourself."

Brenna frowned, "I would not have gone with them."

Her father laughed once and then grabbed her arm, "You would not have known the difference and it would have been this quick. Foolish, foolish girl! Now come, we will discuss your punishment in the privacy of our home. You have many people to apologize to." He turned and began to pull her from the room but she wrested her arm from his grasp and backed away from him,

"No father, I am staying here."

At first he stared at her as if she were talking another language, then took a step towards her again, "You are most certainly not staying here. Do you wish to break your mother's heart, and in her condition? She would not let me leave her in Asgard, even now she waits in the city for me to deliver you to her safely."

Brenna gasped, her mother was here? "Where is she?"

Loki stared at her, "She is somewhere safe. Now stop this insanity and let us go!"

"No, I refuse to return to Rialo, I refuse to return to the life of a peasant farmer! I would rather return to the palace, I would rather live in Jotunheim than suffer myself to endure another day beneath the same roof with you!"

His anger was threatening to overwhelm him, "This is all due to the fact that I would not allow you to return to Asgard, that I did not wish to see you ruined by the intrigues of palace life, that we wanted you home. Well, princess, look around you, these strangers whom you call friend after little more than a day? They would be beneath you, commoners, peasants themselves. You know nothing of being a princess, you would be sorely out of place in the palace."

Brenna had never been so enraged in her life. If her father had set out to mortify her, he'd done a fine job and the next words from her mouth were spit without any forethought. "Mother was a commoner once and you took her just the same."

The force of his hand at her cheek caused her to bite her tongue hard enough that she tasted blood, shock overtaking her at the first time her father had ever laid a hand on her in anger. She stood there, hand across her mouth, face burning with shame.

"How dare you speak of your mother in such a way!"

Brenna looked about the room at the others, forgotten until now, watching them as they tried hard to melt into the woodwork. Tony and Fury, however, were staring at her intently, perhaps waiting for her next reaction but it was her father who stepped up.

"I now know what it is I must do. You will not return with me. You will remain here on Midgard. Learn their ways, see how barbarous they can become, how cruel they are, and when you long to come back home, know that you must wait for us, that we will not be at your beck and call. If it is your wish to escape the only life you have known, so be it."

She kept her gaze trained on the floor. She would not look at his face, she would not watch the angry tears as they coursed down his cheeks, or his countenance soften and crumble before he turned and strode from the room without another word. As his footsteps rang out in the foyer and the front door opened, she collapsed onto the floor, her face in her hands, sobbing. The only indication that she had been left alone, a hand on her back. "Leave me alone!" She shrieked, shrugging it off, but the hand returned and she looked up to see Chase standing over her. She flung her arms around his neck as he lifted her from the floor and let her bury her face in his chest.

He managed to make it outside before his legs betrayed him and he knelt with a roar, his hands pressed against the cold metal of the limousine. He heard Stark whisper, "A farmer, he's a damn farmer?" to whom he knew nor cared not. Nothing had prepared him for this, for the flood of grief that had come with doing what he thought was right. He knelt there, fist pounding the side of the limo, praying for Brenna to come running out of the school behind him crying "Papa, please let me come home." He would have enfolded her in his arms, kissed her cheek and granted her every little request and then he thought of her words, the wounds they had opened in his heart. She had called her mother a commoner, had taken the Uruz with no regard for its meaning or its power, said she preferred the company of these Midgardians to her own family. He forced himself to stand, turn around to see them staring at him, his brother, Fury, Stark, the woman with the white hair and he found no words within him. He looked at the limo driver who had been holding open the door for him and he crawled inside to slump against the far window.

"A farmer, sorry just can't wrap my mind around it." Stark muttered.

Fury glared at him, "Shut the fuck up." as he let himself down in the front seat, "Munro, I will be in contact with you later today."

Ororo gave a nod, her head still reeling, trying to absorb what had just happened in the Great Room as she watched the limo leave down the long drive. Then she turned and headed inside to deal with the other half of the problem.


	17. Chapter 17

Eidra had been greatly relieved when Lily had returned to sit with her but as time wore on, she became worried.

"Do you know where they were going?" She asked Lily.

"I do but I don't quite know how far away it is. I know they left during rush hour in the city. They would have done better to take a plane."

Eidra had started to pace, absently rubbing her belly for comfort and was about to inquire again if they should be back yet when they heard voices in the hall. Eidra turned to see the door slide open and Loki walk in, followed by Thor and Fury.

"Where is Brenna? Did you not find her?" Eidra put her hand to her mouth.

Loki would not meet her gaze as he fished out the Uruz from the pocket of his suit jacket, removed the jacket and tossed it onto the couch.

"We found her."

Eidra turned to Thor and Fury who were standing by the door, "Then where is she?"

She looked back to Loki, "Loki where is Brenna?"

He had been heading into the bedroom, eager to remove the rest of the suit and he stopped,

"She is at a Midgardian school."

Eidra sailed up to him, taking the front of his shirt in her hands, "You promised me you would bring her back!"

Lily wished she were anywhere else but here at this moment. Emotional extremes always made her stomach turn and it was so much worse when she started to develop a liking for someone as she had for Eidra. She glanced over at Thor and Fury who seemed in the middle of a heated but quiet discussion then returned her attention to Eidra who was trying desperately to pry open Loki's right hand, "Let me have it, I will fetch her. I should never have let you do this. She would have come back with me."

He held her back with one hand as he slipped the Uruz in his pants pocket and it was then that she started to beat him about the chest, shrieking in anger and frustration as he stood there, impassive, "Damn you, do not do this to me!" and when he'd had all he could stand, he wrapped her in his arms and held her tightly.

She struggled to free herself thrashing, pushing at him until he whispered in a voice hoarse with emotion, "My heart, the baby, please." and she finally gave in, slumping forward against him, her head on his shoulder as she sobbed.

She could hear his heart pounding, "The decision to leave her there at the school was not made lightly." felt his hands at her back, her head, "But to bring her back home against her will would only embitter her, she would run again." he felt Eidra shake her head but he continued, "She must learn through experience where she truly belongs."

"But there?" Her reply was muffled,

"It was her choice."

Eidra leaned back to look up at him, "Oh Loki, she is barely fifteen seasons, she knows so little of the world outside home. What of Fen, what will we tell him? And Helgi..."

Behind her, Lily heard another snippet of conversation between Fury and Thor, "...war criminal, he can't come and go as he pleases..."

Loki stroked her cheek, "She cannot last long there at the school. Thor will check on her. You will see, within a week she will be home."

She lay her head back to his shoulder, "I hope you are right, I cannot bear to be away from her, not after it took so long for us to be reunited.."

"Brother," Thor had approached them and was standing at Loki's side, "There are some things we must discuss before our departure."

Loki stepped back from Eidra, "Stay here," She gripped his shirt tight but he put his hands gently atop hers, "Please,"

He looked to Fury who gestured towards the door. Eidra loosed her grip then, and stepped back. "You will know what I know, you have my word." he leaned over and kissed her forehead. "And soon we shall be back on Asgard."

As he reached the door, she put her hands to her face, and felt a gentle hand on her back. It was Lily. "Oh Lily, how will I tell everyone what has happened, how?"

Brenna sat for the better part of an hour in Miss Munro's office waiting for her to return to speak with her. As she sat there waiting, she played the whole scene over and over in her mind. The hurtful things she'd said to her father. She had nearly run outside after him to apologize but was afraid he would again insist she go back to Asgard with him and she was determined to remain here on Midgard.

She could not deny, though, that she had been happy to see him even as mad as he was and it had only served to increase her homesickness. She had desperately wanted to see her mother, even her little worm of a brother.

The door to Miss Munro's office opened and she walked over to the couch where Brenna was sitting. She sighed as she sat down beside her. "Young lady, you've caused enough excitement in one day to get the whole school talking."

"I am sorry." Brenna hung her head. "I did not expect my father to come looking for me."

In truth she had not expected her father to find her at all.

"Well he did in a big way and now I have to deal with Fury on a regular basis. There's a prick if ever there was one."

"You mean he is a difficult person?"

Ororo smiled, "Yeah,you could say that."

"Would it be better if I returned to Asgard with my father?" She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the answer.

"I don't know about better, easier...you're just going to have to prove to me that I made the right decision by allowing you to stay."

Brenna sat forward, "How?"

Ororo stood up from the couch and headed to her desk, "By learning, improving. We are going to test you as Nala said, then we're going to teach you about this...realm as you call it. You will learn to move beyond the obvious prejudices your father has about Earth. We'll set up the tests for tomorrow and then the real work begins."

Loki stood there before the fireplace, watching Eidra rock Fen while he cried. They had mercifully returned to Rialo the evening before when Fen had long been abed. Helgi, however had set in her rocking chair, her face in her apron when they told her that Brenna was going to stay in Midgard. "The poor lamb, who is going to care for her? What schooling does she need? She is a woman, she needs to know how to keep a home, raise children."

"In Midgard, the women share equal status with the men. They hold the same positions. They are schooled in history, arithmetic, science." Eidra had shrugged.

Helgi had shaken her head, "Preposterous, let the men do men's work. Why does a woman need to be schooled so? What will she do with such knowledge when she returns to Asgard?"

Eidra had confessed that she did not know, she refrained from telling Helgi that she was not sure at all if Brenna would ever decide to come back.

Eidra shifted Fen on her lap and continued to rock him as he sniffled,"But when is Bren coming home?"

Eidra rubbed his back, "I do not know, when we visit her, you can ask her." She glanced at Loki.

Finally he could bear it no longer and he went outside to the barn to be alone. He had failed. Eidra had tried to reassure him that he had done nothing wrong but he could recall with perfect clarity, Brenna's face as she had told him she would rather stay on Midgard than return home with him. He had indeed failed and for far longer than just the last month. What was most painful was that he could see no way to remedy it. He could not make up for the seasons they had lost, for his misgivings as a parent. His inability to bond with her no matter what he did. When she had said she would remain on Midgard , he knew then that he had no other recourse. He pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes, what if she never changed, what if she never returned to Asgard? He looked up at Blackberry who had come over to shove her nose against his shoulder, as he stroked the velvet of her nose, he looked through the barn doors to the cottage and picked up the saddle. "Let's pay Chris a visit shall we?"

When Miss Munro had sent them off after they'd walked Brenna to the Great room Brian had been unable to control himself. They had stopped at the upper landing of the main staircase to listen. The conversation between Brenna and the man she was currently addressing as "father" had reached a point where they were shouting at each other.

"Dude, did you see who was standing there? In our school?" Brian had him by one arm.

"Yeah," Chase held up his hand, "Now shut up, I'm trying to hear what they're saying."

But Brian continued on, "Tony fucking Stark! He's worth billions, man, billions. I wonder if he'd be interested in adopting a son? And Thor, that is one big boy there, two Avengers, two...here in our school!"

Chase reached over and slapped his hand across Brian's mouth, "Jesus, shut up!"

Brian put his hands in the air and mumbled something, Chase took his hand away, "Now just shh...listen."

They exchanged glances then as they heard a slap resound through the foyer. They crept as far down the stairs as they dared, leaning over the railing, and were still in the same position when moments later, the man Brenna had been talking to strode past the stairs, passing only feet below them. Brian grabbed Chase's arm again and shook him as the man walked out the front door, followed shortly by Stark and Thor who called out to him, "Loki, wait, brother!"

They watched open mouthed as Fury and Ororo were the next to leave the room, Ororo fixing them with a glare as they headed outside with the others.

"We shoulda hid better." Chase muttered as Brian shook him yet again, "Dude you gots a whole lot more trouble than Miss Munro. You heard Thor on his way out?"

Chase was peering into the Great room as he headed down the stairs to check on Brenna but he stopped. "What?"

"You sweet on the Devil's daughter. Her daddy none other than Loki."

Chase waited and Brian rolled his eyes, "You and her make a good couple, you both clueless."

Brian trotted down the stairs after him, "Her daddy is the badass who busted up New York 'bout ten years back."

Chase leaned over the railing again, he could see Brenna kneeling on the floor. He looked up at Brian. "Whats he going to do to me? I'm not going to just leave her there like that."

Brian eyed the front door as Chase ran through the foyer into the Great room, "Dude you stone cold crazy." he muttered as he followed suit seconds later.

Ororo sat at her desk, the results of Brenna's tests spread out before her. She was getting a tension headache. It wasn't the stress of having a student that was obviously in need of a lot of schooling, nor the fact that her father was a powerful and volatile psycopath and a war criminal, it wasn't even the fact that she was now going to have to provide Fury with regular updates on the girl's visitors and whereabouts, her curriculum. No it was all of that rolled into one. She couldn't throw her out of the school either. She put her head down on her desk.

Kurt sat in one of the easy chairs, staring out at the rain sheeting down the large window panes. "Ororo, it is not all bad."

"It's like taking someone out of one of those tribes in the Amazon and setting them down in the middle of New York, maybe they know our language, maybe they can read but the culture shock would be overwhelming."

Kurt closed the book he'd left open in his lap, "She is not ignorant, according to der tests."

Ororo shook her head, "No she's bright, no doubt about that. Did you read the creative writing exercise I gave her? I asked her to write about a typical day in her life. Of course like every teenager, she complained about her chores. Her wording was a bit archaic, she talks like she writes. Only it was the information she gave that tells me we're going to have to start from the beginning if she's writing the truth."

"How so?" Kurt held his hand out and Ororo handed the essay over to him.

"She wrote her day as if she was living on a farm in the eighteenth century at best. She talked about wagons, plows, chamberpots, cooking over a fireplace, pumping water. She's a walking anachronism."

"It's not so unusual. Der Amish are a whole community of anachronisms."

Ororo gave him a look, "Kurt, she's not Amish."

"I know, I know...so vat do you suggest?"

Ororo ran her hands through her hair, "Well we can't exactly place her in an elementary classroom, it's not a matter of ABC's and 123's it's a matter of culture clash."

Kurt handed the papers back to Ororo and folded his hands beneath his chin. "Vat about tutoring? I could give up some fencing classes to Matthew. He is practically teaching half der class himself now."

"Nala could help her with math, I'd have to ask if she had free time for it. She and Garrett are trying to have a baby."

"So dat is der best course of action for now." Kurt rose from the chair and stretched, "Dat vas easy, now comes the hard part, vere to start."

"American History?" Brenna read the title aloud, her voice engulfed by the silence in the school library. They sat at a desk near a large window. Kurt nodded, "Ja, I figured vat better place to start your education than to learn about where you are. World history vill come later."

She picked up the next book in the stack, "Pop culture? What does that mean?"

Kurt took the book from her and opened it. "It is short for Popular culture. Dis vill help you to assimilate into our culture, der subjects ve talk about each day, and," he handed her a magazine from the pile, "Newsweek, dis I expect you to read each week, the main stories at der very least. Den I vill test you on your knowledge."

Brenna put a hand to her forehead. "There is so much to learn."

Kurt tapped the pile of books, "And dis is just der tip of der iceberg."

"Tip of the iceberg? What is an iceberg?"

Kurt nodded, "Ah, dis is vat Ororo meant. An iceberg is piece of ice das floats on water, it is little above der water but bigger below."

Brenna smiled, "I ken, you mean there is much more for me to learn that just what is here."

Kurt clapped his hands together, "Ah, let dere be light."

She started to ask him what he'd meant but he held up his hand, "Later, now let us continue."

Chris was sitting up in bed when Loki arrived. Sally gave him a hug and held him at arms length, "We've been so worried, you found Brenna did you not?"

Loki nodded as he sat down heavily on the bed beside him and proceeded to tell them the entire story of what had happened, Sally interjecting with gasps and cries, Chris waving impatiently at her as he listened.

"So you did what you thought was right." Chris reached over and patted his knee.

"Do you think I did the right thing?" He looked sideways at Chris who chuckled ruefully.

"My boy, I've no basis for comparison. We never had children. What do you think?"

Loki fussed with the hem of his tunic, "I suspect I will not know whether I was right until some time has passed. I must confess I am heartsick."

" 'Tis always hard when they leave the nest, lad. Especially your firstborn. How is Fen taking it? He would follow her about like a shadow."

"Quite hard, I am afraid. He was inconsolable when we told him this morning. It is just this that makes me wonder if I have made the wrong choice."

Chris sat up, "You cannot base the decisions of one upon the needs of another. Change is inevitable. What of Eidra, is she holding up well? Her time is drawing near is it not?"

"Two more moons." A ghost of a smile played around his lips and Chris mirrored it.

"Ah, a joyous occasion. You must now turn your thoughts to the rest of your family and trust God to protect and guide Brenna."

Loki shook his head, "If you must, send prayers to your God. I will send offerings up to mine."

"I surely shall, and I will ask him to forgive your unintentional slight."

Loki patted Chris's shoulder, "Please do, for I fear that I will need all the help I can get."


	18. Chapter 18

Chase had threatened Brian with bodily harm if he so much as hinted at Brenna about what had happened in the Great Room.

When he had found her on the floor after the encounter, she had poured out her heart to Chase. How her father was Thor's brother, that he had been a prince but had renounced his title as such to marry her mother and live a quiet life in Rialo. The fact that she had not known her parents for the first six years of her life and whenever she would ask them about where they had been all that time, they would brush her off, promising to tell her when she was older. She had even told him about the visit to Asgard which had prompted her to run away in the first place. By the time she had finished, Chase was sure she had no idea about her father's past.

"I cannot believe he came to look for me." She had curled up on the couch, her arms wrapped about her legs as she leaned back against Chase.

"What do you mean? He's your father, that's what normal parents do."

She snorted derisively, "They try to control every aspect of your life?"

"Uh, yeah...they tell you what to wear, where to go to school, what friends you can have, where you go and where you don't, how much money you have, that is unless you have your own job."

"Well I do not wish to be controlled. I wish to be on my own."

Chase chuckled, "You and every other teenager, frankly I'd be flattered if my dad came looking for me. What about your mother?"

"What about her?" She craned her head around.

"Well is she the same way? She agree with your dad?"

"He does mostly whatever she says." She frowned.

"So she's in charge huh?"

"I suppose." He felt her hunch forward and sigh, "But I miss her terribly."

"You don't miss your dad?"

She hesitated for a long moment, long enough that he was on the verge of asking her again when she responded, "No." She put her chin on her knees, "I am sure he is of the same mind as I. Better to be rid of an impertinent child, he would say. My mother likely had to beg him to come find me." She knew deep down it was nowhere near the truth but she was going to make every effort to convince herself otherwise.

She turned around to sit upright, "What about your mother, does your father do what she says?" She was startled when Chase started to laugh so hard, tears sprang from his eyes.

"Oh god no! That was hilarious! My mother and father have been divorced since I was four years old!" He bent forward, holding his stomach. "Oh that hurts, I haven't laughed like that in forever."

"Divorced, do you mean that they dissolved their union?" Brenna put her hands at her hips as this brought on a fresh spate of laughter.

"Oh there were plenty of liquid assets. My mom got a few million in the settlement."

"A few million what?"

Chase tried to stop giggling long enough to answer her, "Dollars, money, you know?"

"Like coin of the realm. I ken." She paused as the amount sunk into her mind, "Millions? How, I do not know even if my uncle, the King possesses such wealth."

"I bet he does." Chase pointed at her, "My mother got a lot of money and alimony to boot. She's living the high life in a place where they've never even seen a snow shovel."

"Where does she reside?"

Chase wrinkled his nose, "Saint Croix, I think. Hard to remember, I haven't seen her in about a year."

"I cannot imagine being away from my family for an entire year."

Chase sat forward on the couch, "Well you got a couple of days good start."

She folded her arms, "They will come to see me, my mama will insist."

"You sound pretty sure."

Her smile hid the nagging worry that her father in his anger would forbid them from visiting her.

"I am."

Before long, as it must, the routine on the farm had resumed. Fen was somber, much quieter than his usual ebullient self. Loki kept him by his side as often as he could, not only because he needed the help more than ever around the farm now that Brenna was gone, but because he feared Fen would slip into a permanent melancholy if left to his own thoughts and after a couple of weeks, Fen seemed to come around.

It was during the third week of Sól-mánuðr, when Fen and Loki were out in one of the fields cutting hay, that Sally came riding at a full gallop down the path and called to them. Loki didn't hear her at first and it was Fen who yelled, "Papa, Sally is at the edge of the field."

Loki had been bending down to toss a bale into the back of the wagon. He stood up and shielded his eyes from the sun to see Sally waving wildly at him. "Loki! Come quick!"

By the time he'd reached her, Sally had dismounted and was standing there beside the horse, hands to her chest. "Loki, Chris has had a fall, he insisted on trying to help me this morning gather eggs and do the milking and ye know he's not been getting around well. I turned my back for a moment, he was leaning over on his cane putting eggs in a basket when I heard him call my name, only it sounded strange. I turned to see what was wrong and he was lying on the ground!"

Within minutes, he had unhitched Blackberry, set Fen before him and was pushing the mare as hard as she would run, his arms tight to Fen's body.

He was off the horse almost before she stopped. "Fen you stay here on the horse, ken?"

"But Papa, I want to help. I want to see.."

"Fen, do as I say!" He pointed at him as he followed Sally out behind the cottage to the chicken coop.

"Aw..." Fen crossed his arms and if he had not been focused on getting to Chris, he would have been amused at how much like his mother he looked at that moment.

Chris had pulled himself up to a sitting position at the side of the coop and had his hand over his heart, head turned towards the sunrise when Loki knelt beside him. "My friend, you scared the life out of your beloved."

Chris turned his head to smile and Loki could see at once there was something terribly wrong with him. One side of his face had slackened and even as he tried to speak, the words came out garbled, almost incomprehensible, "I'b sorr..."

Loki took one of his arms, "Sally, you take the other and let us try to get him inside."

"Papa, is Uncle Chris alright?" He heard Fen's voice behind him.

Loki was starting to pull on Chris's arm, "I thought I told...hnnh...you to stay on...the horse."

"I am sorry, Papa." Fen was at his side at once trying to pull with him.

"No, Fen, fetch his cane for him, there on the ground."

They had his feet under him after a minute but Loki could feel that there was no strength in them as they headed towards the cottage.

They let him down gently into a chair before the fireplace. "Let's get him out of his dirty clothes." Sally started to untie his tunic but he made to slap at her hands with one arm, the other dangling at his side. "..oman, indec..t."

Loki watched Sally step back, tears shining in her eyes, "Chris, she only wants you to get cleaned up. You fell in the mud. Come now, man. It will be alright."

Chris turned his head jerkily towards Loki and attempted to smile again, "...you ..ill"

Thereafter, he allowed his breeches to be drawn off and his tunic raised over his head until he was dressed only in his undergarments. Fen stayed back in a corner, hands clasped before him as he watched them tend to Chris. "Will he be alright, Papa?"

Loki's eyes flitted to Sally's face, "Yes, Fen now hush, be a good boy and go draw down the bedcovers for him will you?"

Sally drew a basin of water and proceeded to clean Chris's face and hands, his hair of the mud and dirt, he staring at her all the while, his countenance blank. When they started to lift him up to bring him to the bed he became suddenly agitated, fighting them so that Sally nearly lost her grip on him. Finally, however, they managed to get him into the bedchamber and sit him down. Loki could see he was struggling for words, "...ork...to..be..."

Sally shook her head, "Oh my plum pudding, be still, the chores will be done. I'll send Fen to ..." She put her hand to her mouth, unable to finish her sentence.

As she was drawing the covers up to Chris's chest, Loki put a hand at her back, "I will fetch the physician from town. I would rather it were Clotho instead of Petter, he vexes me, but Chris needs immediate attention." He turned to Fen, "I will return soon, stay and help Sally."

Fen nodded and folded himself into Sally's skirts. She put her arm around his shoulder and pulled him close.

"I will be back straightaway."

Petter was a homely young man, short, sallow with a slight paunch. He had apprenticed under his father, Alder, and, Loki thought, acted too entirely full of himself at his tender age. Whereas Alder, like Clotho, would patiently explain himself and was of a general good nature, Petter was more apt to wear his impatience like a fine robe, with haughty indifference.

He held Chris's wrist, his lips moving soundlessly. Then he leaned over, peering first into his right eye, lifting the lid of the left one in turn. "You say he was was gathering eggs, then he started to speak strangely and fell to the ground?"

Sally nodded, "I thought at first it was his heart."

Petter put a hand on Chris's forehead, "And you noticed no convulsions? No vomiting? Sweats?"

"None, can ye help him?"

"Well it is obvious something is wrong." Petter clasped his hands together across his belly.

"Do not tell us what we already know, Alderson, "Loki grumbled, "What can be done for him?"

Petter looked down his nose at Loki, "Indeed...well it is apparent that he has suffered a bout of apoplexy. Note the paralysis on the left side of his body, his speech is confounded, he acts confused. When I last saw him for the infected cut on his foot, I warned that he should alter his diet for his girth was going to be his downfall."

Sally patted her stomach, suddenly self conscious, she too had put on some weight since their arrival in Asgard, but she defended him, "He was a baker, good food is his life, sure and ye would deny him the one thing he might still enjoy?"

Petter gestured at Chris who had dozed off. "And you would have him thus?"

Loki stepped forward to stand beside Sally, "Petter, your bedside manner is sorely lacking."

"Because I speak the truth?" Petter sniffed indignantly, hand at his chest.

"No, because you speak too harshly. You are without tact. Temper yourself, can you not see the woman is beside herself?" Loki saw Sally nod.

Petter peered at them and muttered, "Indeed." as he walked out into the common room grabbed his satchel from the table before the fire, and brought it back to set on the bed. He opened it and began rummaging through the contents, bringing out a linen packet and handing it to Sally.

"Now this is willow bark tea. Give him one cup in the morning and one in the evening, you may sweeten to taste with honey."

He returned to his satchel and produced a small dark green bottle, holding it up to the sunlight pouring in through the bedchamber window. "This is elderberry syrup. I recommend two teaspoons daily." Sally nodded then turned as they heard a grunt from Chris who was struggling to push himself upright.

Petter walked to the bedside and put his hands on Chris's shoulders to stay his effort, "Calm yourself," he said in an overloud voice, "You need your rest." He looked at Sally, "I would also recommend a session of bloodletting, just to balance the humours."

Chris grunted again and muttered, "...utcher..."

Petter tilted his head, "I cannot ken what you said." He glanced at Sally, "What did he say?"

Sally shrugged, looking to Loki who was now biting his lip, doing his best not to smile, "I believe he called you a butcher."

Loki caught Chris's eye and realized Chris was giving him a lopsided smile.

"Preposterous! I will have you know that bloodletting has helped a number of my patients.."

Chris spat out, "...ictms..."

Before Petter could turn to him, Loki had slipped out of the bedchamber door to laugh, with as much good humor as relief. His friend may have been down but he was most certainly not out yet. A moment later, Petter sailed through the room and out the front door, his satchel beneath his arm. Fen was right behind him, and he ran to a window to watch Petter mount his horse and trot off down the road.

Sally came from the bedchamber shaking her head, "Ye instigate him so. Ye are both devils." A hint of a smile played on her lips, "I'd not have told him to shut it for all the gold in the world though. Do ye think he'll be alright, Loki?"

He looked through the doorway into the bedchamber where Chris lay, fussing with his coverlet.

"I shall send a courier to the palace to consult with Clotho. He may have some other elixirs Petter does not. I must return home. The sun is starting to set and Eidra will surely have been looking for us. I would send her over to sit with you but..."

"Loki, no, she needs to take care of herself with that baby. The last thing she needs is to play nursemaid."

"I shall return after I get the chores finished for the evening. Helgi will stay with Eidra."

He saw the gratitude in her eyes even though she protested, "Loki she needs you as well."

He held up his hand, "She is stronger than you think, Sally."

She took his hand and squeezed it, "Oh no, she is stronger than we both think."

Eidra looked out the window by the door for what Helgi thought had to be the fifteenth time. "I am sure they are just trying to finish what they can for the day. Sit, child."

"It is nearly meal time, they are home by now, washing up." She kept a hand on her belly. The baby as well had been cause for her agitation. It had not been moving as much though she knew there was little space for it now and she had become increasingly uncomfortable. Her back was often sore.

She rocked in her chair for a short time, picked up her knitting, set it down and stood up again.

"Eidra, you needs must sit. Do you wish me to tie you down?" Helgi stood before the fireplace, one hand on her hip and a spoon in the other, about to chase her from the window when Eidra cried, "They are back, thank the gods!"

She flung open the door just as Fen reached it and wrapped his arms around her waist as far as he could. Now more than ever, he had to be in the presence of any one of the three of them. If Fen were alone in the cottage with Eidra and she went outside to fetch a couple of eggs or pick some flowers for the table, he was right at her heels. It was as if he feared they would disappear if he let them out of his sight.

"Mama, Uncle Chris is sick!" Fen was breathless and Eidra patted his back as she looked up at Loki.

"Chris is sick? What happened?"

Loki hung his cloak on the peg by the door, "Sally came to the field this morning to find me. Chris had fallen out by the chicken coop and she could not get him up. I fetched Petter from Rialo,"

"I do not like him." Eidra put her head up to receive his kiss, "What did he think was wrong?"

"He believes it was apoplexy, I must say I am inclined to agree. I have seen it before."

Eidra gasped, "Oh no, how bad is he?"

Loki hesitated, composing himself as he thought of his dear friend lying there nearly speechless, "He seems unable to move anything on his left side, he could not walk without assistance and he was almost struck dumb though he did manage to get a few words out for the doctor." Loki smiled, the scene still amusing him as it played out in his head.

Eidra walked to the hutch and pulled open one of the drawers, grabbed a large linen towel and laid it open on the table. "I will bring them something to eat. Cooking will surely be the last thing on her mind. I will sit with her tonight."

Loki took her hand, "I shall bring the food and sit with them tonight. You are in no condition to ride, nor do you need to sit up until sunrise."

Eidra shook her head but Loki took her chin in his hand, "The baby is of the utmost importance now. Please, my heart, I promise I will make every effort to keep him comfortable."

Eidra lay her head on his chest, "I feel useless."

"Nonsense, you are with child, you are performing the most wondrous task nature hath wrought, being a mother. Now sit down, we will set the table and eat, then I will go to Chris."


	19. Chapter 19

The flat tone of the alarm clock, the sound Brenna had come to loathe in the few short weeks she'd been at the school, drove her from a dream filled sleep. For once, however, she was grateful for the interruption.

She had been dreaming that she was back on Asgard. Home, but yet, not home. She could see her father and mother, Fen and Helgi all working in the fields, talking and laughing but she was apart from them. She was watching them from high above. She had chanced to look down at herself then. She was wearing a find blue gown, a heavy royal blue cloak draped over her shoulders, pale blue gloves holding the reins of the horse she was sitting astride. She'd heard a whicker beside her and had turned to see her uncle, dressed every part the king, sitting on another horse. He had returned the glance and grunted, "Come, we must go, you have seen enough."

As he had canted his horse to the left, she had looked again to the fields but was anguished to find her family nowhere to be seen.

She had risen, washed up, got dressed and was waiting outside her quarters with her backpack by the time chase arrived to walk her to the Great hall for the morning meal. On the way she told him about her dream.

"You were dressed all in blue, huh? Maybe you were sad, maybe you miss home more than you think."

Brenna frowned, "What does the color of my dress have to do with my feelings?"

"Well when someone is sad, we say they're feeling blue. It's color association, psychological crap."

"If that be the case, then Professor Wagner and Nala are perpetually unhappy."

Chase laughed, "Hey that's pretty good. Seriously though, I think you're just homesick."

"Well if that is the case, there is nothing to be done for it. I cannot go home on my own." She smiled at the service lady who handed her the usual bowl of oatmeal with a side of maple syrup. Further down the line, she grabbed an orange and a banana. She'd grown quite fond of them, never having had one while in Asgard. Most fruit was safe, most vegetables as well.

She had learned the hard way that Midgardian food, while it tasted good for the most part, greatly disagreed with her. Brian was the one to hit upon the reason almost immediately.

"Where you come from, they all natural Middle Ages shit. The chemicals and preservatives in the food here making you sick girl. You gots to go organic."

Chase had slapped his forehead, "God, I'm so stupid. I shoulda seen that right off."

Brian had just smiled, "That's why I gotsa A in Biology and you gotsa C."

Chase had tried to accommodate her. When she had mentioned she loved chicken, he had gone so far as to borrow Brian's car and drive out to a local chicken farm where they raised free range chickens and lay in a supply for her in the staff kitchen's fridge.

One afternoon they had driven to a farmer's market in Salem Center, after her mathematics class with Nala. She found she enjoyed math and Nala told her she had quite a knack for it.

At the farmer's market, she had been transported with joy. She looked over the vegetables and fruits, putting them in a basket the market had provided. She had stopped to talk with the vendors, asking about their growing practices, the length of their seasons, fertilizers. Chase had carried the basket and gladly paid for the items though she had offered him a handful of coins. "It is all I have."

Brian and Chase had marveled at the molded coins in sliver and bronze, with a couple dull gold discs mixed in. Chase had picked up and studied a silver coin. "The mark is the symbol of The Allfather. Odin."

Chase had asked to have it as a keepsake and Brenna had given it gladly. In return for his generosity in paying for the produce, she had, with a little help and permission, cooked the three of them dinner in the staff kitchen. Chase had taught her about the oven and the burners and she had been duly amazed. Chase in turn had been duly amazed that she could cook well though she had explained that she'd been raised in the kitchen and learned to cook at an early age.

They spied an empty table near one of the windows that looked out over the grounds to the lake and sat down. "Where is Brian?"

Chase pointed to a table across the way where Brian was sitting beside a pretty raven haired girl with emerald green eyes. She was dressed in a short skirt and a halter top and in Brenna's opinion, was entirely too made up. She would bat her eyes at Brian and he would grin from ear to ear.

"She does not seem very trustworthy."

Chase took the salt shaker from the table, "I'd go rescue him but he's the type that's gotta learn the hard way."

A petite girl dressed in a short green jersey dress, her honey blond hair done in a chignon, pulled a chair up right beside Brenna and sat down, "Bren, you look great today."

Brenna shook her head. She had chosen jeans and a gray short sleeved jersey with a scooped neckline. She was still trying to adjust to the different styles of clothing here on Midgard. She wished to fit in though, and if that was the means to an end, so be it.

"Has anyone been over for help today?"

"No, Sophie, do not jinx it."

Sophie giggled, covered her mouth.

Brenna's first week at the school had been a lonely one. She had talked mostly to Professor Wagner and Nala, Ororo, Chase or Brian. Everyone else kept their distance. If Chase or Brian weren't around during meal times, she would either sit at a table alone or eat in her room. That changed very quickly. Brenna had been finishing her evening meal when she heard a squeal and a crash. She looked in the direction of the commotion and saw a girl on the floor on her hands and knees, books splayed out before her. People were starting to help her pick them up and Brenna almost considered staying in her seat but then she heard the girl wail, "My glasses, my mother is going to flip, that's the third pair this year!"

She had gotten up and walked over to where the girl stood with a pair of glasses in her hands. Brenna could see the frames were snapped in half and she paused, there were a number of students around her, then the girl put her head up and caught Brenna's eye though she said nothing at first. Finally Brenna had held out her hand,

"Pardon me, but...I think I may be able to help."

The girl had seemed confused at first then had handed her the glasses. Brenna set them down on a table beside them, putting the pieces of the frame back together and touching the frame lightly with her hand. She saw in her mind, the jagged edges of the plastic finding their matches, melding back together, pulling the frame back to its original shape, the crack in the glass of one lens glowing, reforming until the frames were whole again.

"Here." Brenna handed the glasses back to the girl who stood there aghast.

"Thank you so much, you don't know how much bullshit you've saved me from!"

Brenna had smiled, "You are welcome." and returned to her table but the girl and one other boy had followed her. That girl was Sophie, and the boy was her friend Dylan who had sat down beside her and produced an old CD case with a cracked cover and asked her if she could repair the CD inside. He had opened the case to hand her a CD that was in two pieces. When she had graciously fixed it, they had remained at the table and started talking to her.

That next day, Sophie had brought another girl to her table with a small pair of earphones. "I wondered if you could fix something more complicated." Brenna had refrained from telling her how complicated the human body could be. She simply put her hands on the earphones, feeling the wire that had detached from the cold solder joint and within a second handed them back to the girl who plugged them into her MP3 player and smiled. "Oh wow, they sound even better than when I first got them, thanks a lot!"

From then on, every day, people would come up to her and ask her to fix something, rips in their clothes, at least the ones they didn't want, broken electronics, CDs and a whole range of other items. Suddenly Brenna began to tire easily, she would fall asleep while trying to do her homework, or sitting with Nala doing mathematics, even while eating. When she complained about being tired so often, Sophie had told her to say no once in a while. "We expend energy while using our gifts, it only stands to reason that you're getting tired because you're using yours too often. Save it for the really important things."

So Brenna had explained to the students who came to her that she had to limit herself to only so many repairs a day and for the most part, they had complied. She'd made a few friends in the interim however, Sophie being her favorite next to Chase and Brian.

"Week after next is Labor day, they're doing the barbecue down by the lake again aren't they?"

Sophie dipped her french toast stick into a puddle of maple syrup on her plate.

"Yeah far as I know," Chase nudged Brenna, "You're going aren't you? They really put on a spread, I mean they have lots of food, music, dancing, swimming. Its the last fling before summer is over."

"I suppose I shall. I cannot believe summer is nearly gone. My father will be haying now, mother will be putting food by for the winter. Next week I will be fifteen seasons."

Chase's head swiveled about, "Your birthday is next week?"

"Yes what of it?"

Chase stared at her, "Aw come on, you can't tell me you don't celebrate birthdays in Asgard."

"How do you celebrate it here on Midgard? My mother cooks me whatever I like. I am freed from chores. I receive gifts. Last season my father wove a new harness for Lightning but had mother give it to me. He does not get overemotional about anything." She thought to add, "except my mother." but Chase said,

"Another thing we have in common. My dad is the emotional equivalent of granite."

"We'll have to make you a cake then." Sophie piped up, "What flavor would you like?"

"You use cake to celebrate birthdays? Interesting."

"Mmm I don't know about that. The party that goes along with it is interesting though. So chocolate, vanilla, strawberry?" Sophie looked into the air before her and an image of a frosted cake appeared to hover over the table, a lovely, white, tiered... "Wedding cake, no that's not what I want."

She closed her eyes tight, opened them again and a somewhat cartoon-ish pink frosted layer cake appeared. "With bananas." Brenna added, giggling as banana popped out of the top of the cake.

"Aw that's wrong, you know how that screws me up when people yell suggestions at me. I'll see what I can do about the banana idea though."

"I was going to say Mariah Carey. I'd like to see her pop out of a birthday cake." Chase chuckled as the image faded.

"Men are pigs, Bren. The sooner you learn that, the better." she eyed Chase.

"So you would make me a cake to celebrate my birthday?"

Sophie slid her arm around Brenna's shoulders, "That's what friends do." She looked up at the clock on the wall and snatched her backpack from the floor, "I gotta go or I'm going to be late and Professor Summers loves to give extra work as punishment. See you later. We can do homework and watch another educational movie."

Brenna laughed, "I cannot wait to see what you pick next."

When Sophie had started asking her to come to her rooms and do homework with her, she had popped a movie into her DVD player. Brenna had watched, mesmerized. She had watched shows with Chase like the evening news and something he had called game shows which were beyond her ken but she much preferred books and lately had been perusing oversized ones on every subject she could find.

The movies, however, were altogether different. The first one she'd put in was a film by a group of men called The Marx Brothers. While she could not follow the jokes and gaffs very well, the slapstick was pretty straightforward. She had asked endless questions about it and Sophie had graciously answered what she could. At the end of the film, Brenna had apologized for being so inquisitive but the next day Sophie had put yet another Marx Brothers movie in. Now it had become a ritual, movies, homework, and of course snacks. They sometimes included Chase but more often it was just the two of them.

As Chase brought her tray up to the conveyor belt and they headed out of the hall for their classes, she thought to herself how wrong her father had been. He had said Midgardians were cruel, barbarous, selfish. He couldn't have been farther from the truth.

After a week had passed, Loki finally relented, allowing Eidra to travel to Chris's on the condition that she take the wagon and keep Lightning at a walk so she and Helgi rode in the wagon. Fen insisted on riding with Loki on Blackberry though he was disappointed that his father would not ride on ahead of the wagon for more than a few yards. "Your mother might need us so I wish to stay close."

They had just reached Rialo when Fen tipped his head back and looked up at Loki. "Papa?"

He gazed down at his son, "What?"

"Might we visit Brenna soon?" he bumped his head against Loki's chest, "I miss her."

"Not yet, not until your baby sister is born. Mama cannot travel as she is."

"Is she really going to have a girl? Because I would really like a brother instead."

Loki smiled and twisted around to see Eidra and Helgi talking to one another, "It does not work that way. We must accept what fate gives us."

They rode quietly a bit further, then, "Why did Brenna leave?"

Loki bit his lip, they had talked at length about why Brenna was on Midgard and Fen would still ask over and over again. Loki wondered what answer would finally stop his questions. "Again you ask."

"I am sorry Papa." Fen leaned forward onto Blackberry's mane and draped his arms down her neck. The sadness in his small voice broke Loki's heart and so he tried once more. "Brenna is on Midgard attending a school. She left Asgard because she thought we were being unfair to her."

"What she did was not fair. She left us, she made Mama cry."

Loki laid a hand on Fen's back, "We will visit her, I promise you."

Sally had just stepped outside when they arrived. "Eidra!" she cried as she rushed to her. "Oh look at how big ye are. Faith and I'm glad to see ye." She herded them inside where Chris was sitting at the table. He gave them a lopsided smile and held his right arm out to Fen who hesitated for a moment until Loki pushed him forward gently. He crawled up into Chris's lap and was greeted by the same strong hug he'd expected from him though it felt a little weaker with one arm. "Fen, my boy."

"You sound better, my friend." Loki patted him on the shoulder. The paralysis had begun to fade little by little since the initial attack but his speech was still a bit garbled as the muscles on the left side of his face continued to remain slack.

"Little by little." he nodded to Eidra who leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. He pointed to her belly and said, "Soon?"

"Yes, but not soon enough. It has been a hot summer."

As Loki sat down at the table, Eidra drifted over to Sally who was standing at a basin of water, washing cups and plates and stood beside her. "Does he respond well to the treatment Petter prescribed?"

Sally sighed, "I suppose he does. 'Tis hard to judge whether it be the medicine or his stubborness, or both." She glanced at Eidra, "How have ye been fairing yourself?"

"I have been...fairing. I do not sleep as well now. I am up and down all evening. Poor Loki, I rose and sat in the rocker last night and when I returned to bed, he was lying there looking at me. I fear I keep him up as well."

She took up a linen towel and started to dry the dishes Sally was doing. "It is terrible to lay abed thinking when everyone sleeps. I wonder how Brenna is, if she wants to come home, if she's eating, if she's lonely."

"I'm sure she's all of those things. Why do you not go see her?"

Eidra patted her belly, "Loki forbids it until I have delivered. The danger is too great."

Sally dried a hand, reached over and felt her stomach, "Does the baby move much now?"

Eidra nodded, "She moves mostly in the evening. I fear she will follow the same pattern after she is born."

"Then it shall be his turn."

Eidra laughed, "Shh, I have already teased him about that, or rather warned him." The baby gave a strong kick, "And the lady agrees with me."

Sally insisted they stayed for the evening meal and Eidra and Helgi helped with the preparation while Loki and Fen sat with Chris.

Loki shook his head, "I could make you a stand for your musket but I fear you will not be steady enough to aim." He shifted Fen who had fallen asleep in his lap.

"Lemme be th' judge of that." Chris wiped his mouth with a handkerchief. "Dam'ble drooling."

"I would take a buck for you, but so be it, next moon we shall hunt together again."

Chris smiled, "Content..don' see how you'll hab time what with th' babe."

Loki grinned, "You jest, my friend. I will have time. Someone must provide for the family."

Chris reached over the table and put a hand to his arm, "Fear not, I'll bring in th' venison for us all."

"Oh shall you. I have half a mind to let you."

Chris waved to him, "G'on with you then. Fetch muh musket."

He made an attempt to rise from the chair but Loki stopped him. "Old fool, the deer will laugh at you. Enough, now tell me what it is you need done about the grounds."

"Soon we butcher th' pig. Need help withat, and there's harvestin' to be done."

"I am going to procure a servant for you straightaway, you need more help."

Chris frowned at this, "Nonsense." but then his countenance eased. '' 'Twould help Sally though."

"Then it is settled. I will ask about town for a boy."

"You take care of me at your expense." Chris's eyes shone with tears.

"You took care of me, you saved my life, helped to restore Eidra. We are brothers, it is nothing to help family." Loki clasped his hands together and nodded to Chris.

"Th' feeling is mutual, my son, mutual."

Fen had awakened just before the evening meal with a new burst of energy and had chattered endlessly on until Loki reminded him to be polite. Chris was no help as he encouraged him at the table by making half faces at him, making him giggle. After the meal, Eidra and Helgi had helped Sally clean up and Loki had helped an exhausted Chris to bed.

Now Fen was asleep again in Helgi's arms in the back of the wagon. Loki rode Blackberry alongside as he and Eidra talked quietly.

"He seems better than you told me."

"He is no doubt, but I fear for his health. I wonder should we make an addition to the cottage, perhaps bring them to stay with us?"

Eidra nodded, "It would suit me." She hesitated, "I fear I would be amiss in saying that they could stay in Brenna's room for now. It pains me to think she will not be coming home soon to use it."

Loki's grip on the reins tightened, "If it is your wish that I visit her and ask her to come home, I shall but I suspect I will have to beg."

"Let her be. If she truly wished to return, she would have come with you in the first place. We will visit after the baby. Surely she will want to return then."

"I will propose that they move on the morrow. I am not sure they will but we must try to convince them." He stared down at her soft features illuminated by the setting sun, "Stop the wagon."

She pulled the reins and watched as he dismounted, tied Blackberry to the rear of the wagon and climbed aboard to sit beside her on the seat. He wrapped his arm around her waist as they started off again.

"I desired to be close to my wife." he nuzzled at her neck, the spot just below her earlobe and she shuddered.

"You desire to drive her mad. You know nothing can come of this."

"Then I shall simply hold you." His grip tightened as she lay her head upon his shoulder.

"You dog," She murmured, "You just wait."

He kissed the top of her head, "As I must."


	20. Chapter 20

"Come on Sophie, you almost had it." Chase whispered. Brenna sat cross-legged on Sophie's bed beside him, an open social studies book forgotten in her lap. Brian and Sophie were on the floor, sunk into chairs Sophie had called bean bags. Brenna often claimed the big black one but Sophie had been sprawled in it when she arrived.

They watched the image of a toy plush rabbit hover in the air shimmering between opaque and semi-solid.

"Aw ain't he cute. He still pink though. I wanted him to be yellow." Brian lay back in the bean bag opposite hers.

"Well I thought pink so it's pink." Sophie muttered as she stared hard at the image, her hands open palms upward. Brenna wondered how she could think at all with her music blaring in the background. Brenna had been exposed to a multitude of genres courtesy mostly of Chase who sat with her one night as they browsed that magical place called the internet. She had identified most strongly with classical music, pop being a close second, rock was a bit harder on her ears. The music he'd called techno greatly interested her but she disliked country and hard rock. Chase said he always had music on when he was studying but she preferred silence more than anything. Given the choice, she would listen to CD's of Mozart or Bach that Chase had gotten for her. He had even lent her the CD player she was using to listen to them with.

She glanced over at Chase and edged a bit closer to him whereas he turned to her and smiled. A little more than a week ago, he had challenged her one rainy night to a game of Scrabble in the rec room. She'd caught on at once and though Chase had proved to be a better speller than her, needing to help when she misspelled a word, she managed to stay a close second in score. As usual, Chase asked questions about Asgard. He seemed endlessly fascinated with the realm she'd come from.

"So then months here are..."

"Moons, and one year is one season to us. Our measure of time is based more on the cycles of the harvest and planting, festivals, things that are important to us."

She had spelled "ailment" and Chase tallied up the score.

"And I have read that your calendar as you call it, is based on a culture called the Romans."

"Right, what about hours, minutes?"

"We would say anon, soon...shortly, presently...on the morrow if something were to happen the next day. Hence if it had happened the day before."

"So like old english crap. Like you guys stopped just before the industrial revolution. I mean there aren't TV's or stereos or computers there right?"

Brenna had shaken her head, "None of the technology that you know at present exists in our world."

"So what do you do for amusement, for fun?" He spelled "tender" off of the T in "ailment" and she frowned in concentration.

"Just what we are doing here, we play games. Hnefatafl, dice games, races on foot and on horseback, wrestling, reading, singing..." She spelled "light" off the L in "ailment" and looked up at him. "My mother and father had their first kiss over a game of dice."

Chase had been staring at his tiles trying to form a word in his mind and with that statement, all words went right out the window. He couldn't have spelled cat if they were the only tiles he had.

"It is your turn, Chase."

He nodded, "I know, give me a sec." Had she meant to say what she did as a hint? Maybe she just meant to share a story. He swallowed hard and started to pick up tiles, choosing his words carefully, "Brenna, back home were you seeing anybody?"

"Seeing...I saw many people. What a strange question. Is this more of that slang you speak of?"

"Yeah I guess it is, sorry. How can I say it? What's an old fashioned word for seeing someone...uh..." He spelled "plant" off the T in "light".

She chewed her lip as she studied her tiles, jumping when Chase cried, "I got it! Courting, right? Was anybody courting you?"

He knew he had hit on the right word when she blushed bright pink, "I sported with a village boy, Moran, when I was younger, it was nothing but a childish infatuation, however."

"So you're single?"

She put tiles down on the board, "I suppose I am."

"So then," His mouth felt drier than the Sahara, "Would you go out with me..ah, I mean, could I court you?"

Her hand paused at the board as she put a tile down. She knew her father should really be the one to approve of whoever courted her. He would check the family lineage, inquire upon his upbringing. She let go of the tile. Then again, she was on Midgard, she could do what she wanted.

"I would like that, I do not know the customs here for courting so you must humor me."

He smiled, "I don't think it's much different, I mean you're a girl and I'm a boy right? It's the same where you come from. I mean you don't date werewolves or trolls."

"Odin's beard, no!" Brenna scowled, "Trolls, you must be joking."

Chase raised his eyebrows, "Actually I was."

Brenna paused, "Oh," She looked at the board, "So we are courting then."

Chase started to build another word, "Only here we call it dating, seeing each other, like that."

"Seeing each other, interesting, very well then," She picked up tiles from her tray, "We are seeing each other."

Chase had seemed flustered throughout the rest of the game and even when he'd walked her to her quarters, he'd had trouble finding the right words, his voice breaking as he said good night to her. She had opened the door to her room, secretly enjoying the way Chase shifted from one foot to the other, looking as if he couldn't find a comfortable stance. She finally relented, placing a soft kiss on his lips and ducking inside, leaning against the door, unaware that he was doing the same thing on the other side.

"Almost," Brian whispered aloud, breaking Brenna's reverie as she saw the toy bunny become more solid, red blotches break out on Sophie's cheeks as she strained to hold the image.

Brian called these sessions honing their skills. Chase called them avoiding homework. He saw Brian move, his foot coming up beneath Sophie's which was dangling off the edge of the bean bag and tapping it. Immediately the toy dissolved into nothing.

"Brian, you shit! I almost had it!" She kicked at him as he pulled back.

"Hey, if you wanna run wit' the big dogs, you can't let nothing so small distract you. What if the bad guy blowed you a kiss or threw something atcha?"

Sophie gave him the finger, "And what if the bad guy is a jackass?"

Brian sat up in his bean bag, "Alright, now pay attention y'all. Chase, hand me that there bottled water."

Chase tossed Brian the bottle he had beside him and Brian unscrewed it, starting to pour the water into his hand.

"Hey don't get any water on my carpet! I don't want wet feet!" Sophie cried.

"Hush, woman, I ain't gonna let yo feet get wet." He set the bottle down on the floor and put his other hand over the water. It had been dripping through his fingers onto his pant legs but immediately stopped, and began to flow back into his hand until it was all pooled into his palm, in a watery ball. He drew his other hand up and the water stretched into a clear column, he spread his fingers wide and the water thinned into a glassy sheet. "G'on, put your finger through it."

Sophie pierced the sheet with one finger and drew it back though. "It's dry!"

"That's because I'se controlling the cohesive factor. I could make it rock solid and y'all would need a hammer to get through it."

"So could I, it's called a freezer." Chase quipped and Brenna nudged him playfully. He leaned over and whispered in her ear, "I call this counter-attack. Stay still."

Chase waved his hand before him and everything stopped, the music from the stereo, the ripple of the water in Brian's hand, Brian and Sophie themselves had ceased to move. Chase had explained his talent to her as the ability not so much to stop time as to move independently of it. Chase got off the bed, picked up the water bottle and poured it over Brian's head, watching it trickle down over his face. Then he moved Brian's arms until his hands hovered just above the crotch of his pants. Finally he waved his hand again, the sound returning to the room as Brian gasped, his concentration broken as the sheet of water dropped into his lap.

Jesus, Mary and Jo-seph! It's on now, oh it's on!" Brian jumped up and made a swipe at Chase who backpedaled over the other side of the bed, laughing as Brenna ducked to the side.

"You two are gonna dry out this carpet!" Sophie yelled to them as they tore around the room.

"Oh you think you funny and all!" Brian had managed to get a roaring Chase in a headlock. "I'm gonna knock you out."

"C'mon guys, knock it off before Grace hears us." Sophie half whispered.

Brian tossed Chase onto the bed, Chase breathless with laughter as he rolled over onto his back and looked up at Brenna, "How about you, beautiful? What's the most complex object you've ever healed?"

Brian dropped back into the bean bag, a towel draped over his head, "Yeah, have you ever unhealed stuff?"

She sat up straight. She had never thought of doing such a thing. "No I have not."

"How come?"

She shrugged, "I do not know."

Brian put his hands behind his head, "Well when you heal something, what you do? Do it happen naturally or do you gotta think about it?"

"Oh I see it in my mind. I see where something has been broken, the edged where it has separated, then I see them reuniting, returning to their previous state. It is quite interesting really."

Brian reached over and snatched the pencil Sophie had been holding in her hand, she had been using it to do homework. He snapped the pencil easily in half and handed the pieces to her, "Here, fix it."

Brenna rolled her eyes as she took the halves, held them together and within seconds was handing it back to Brian but he pushed it back to her, "Okay now, reverse it."

Brenna stared at the pencil but nothing happened at first, she closed her eyes, seeing the wood splinter along the crack that she'd healed, yellow paint chipping away until the top half of the pencil dropped to the coverlet before her.

"Oh snap! Look at you deconstructing and shit!" Brian shouted.

Brenna, however, just stared at the broken pencil, "I had no idea I could do that."

Brian shot her a look, "The hell you say. You cannot tell me you ain't never played with your powers."

Brenna shook her head, "I never had reason to. I did not consider them powers. It is not uncommon to be born with such skills where I come from. I was born with a caul which often portends second sight or some other special ability."

Chase sat up. "I read bout that before. How a caul could mean you would be born with esp or second sight."

"My father is a mage. My mother said he is quite powerful but he rarely uses his abilities at home.

"Good thing." Brian muttered catching Chase's glare. "

"Why do you say that?"

"Chase smiled broadly, "Well you know, I mean, you gotta be careful about how you use your gifts right?"

He saw Chase nod as Brenna frowned, "I suppose so, but he uses his power to be helpful."

She felt suddenly as if she was missing something when Brian stood up. "Hey, y'all, I'm gonna hit the hay. See you on the flip side."

Brenna hopped down from the bed as Brian left, "I, too, am going to retire."

Chase stood with her, "I'll walk you to your room."

They said their goodbyes to Sophie and started down the hall. Brenna was lost in thought, quiet.

"Babe, you okay?" Chase slipped his hand into hers and she squeezed it.

"The boys from my village that I used to play with, Silvan and Moran, they used to tell me things about my father. People called him in his youth the Dark Prince. Moran said it was not because of his black hair. I have asked my father of his past but he only says that he is not the person he was before."

They had reached her door and Chase put his arms around her waist, pulling her to him where she lay her head on his chest. "You can't believe everything you hear, Bren. Ignore the haters."

"I would were it that they hated me but they were my friends. Are you not supposed to trust your friends?"

"Yeah, but you don't have to believe everything they say." He kissed the top of her head and she backed away from him.

"I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

Chase tipped her chin upward and met her lips. She expected a quick peck but the kiss deepened further until she was leaning against the door, eyes closed, arms snaking around his neck. The sensation as her lips parted with his was completely new and she was barely able to keep her legs beneath her when she felt his tongue trace her bottom lip. So lost was she in the moment that she didn't hear the footsteps approaching, unaware that there was anyone else in the whole universe, much less the hallway, but the two of them.

"Chase Wells. It is vell past bed time is it not?"

Chase backed away so swiftly, he nearly lost his balance and Brenna stood up straight, adjusting her shirt and putting her hands behind her back.

Kurt eyed them both but Brenna, though she felt mortified to have been caught in such an intimate moment, was relieved to see there was a hint of amusement in the professor's mien.

"Yes sir, I was um...saying goodnight..." Chase was scarlet as he stammered his reply, "Bren, I'll see you tomorrow."

Brenna nodded and watched as Chase sprinted down the hall towards his room. She glanced at Kurt.

"Young lady, be careful vith der boys. Dey can be quite a distraction."

"Yes sir,"

"You two are dating now, ja?"

Brenna felt her face grow hot, "Yes. Am I allowed?"

Kurt shrugged, "Ja, dere are no rules against it as long as you behave."

"I will, goodnight sir."

Kurt grinned, his pointed teeth brilliant in the dim light of the hallway, "Goodnight Brenna."

As her door closed behind her, Kurt shook his head and sighed, "Kids."

Brenna flopped onto her bed and stared up at the ceiling, her fingers on her lips. The kiss had made her whole body tingle, she felt like she had run a footrace, her heart had been beating so fast. If anything had affirmed her decision to stay here on Midgard, it was meeting Chase.


	21. Chapter 21

"Muh boy." Chris had his right arm around Loki's neck, the left arm, though some use had returned, hung loose at Loki's shoulder. "You shall trow yer back out."

He hefted Chris up on his back from the rear of the wagon, "Nonsense," He grunted, "You concentrate upon holding on to me." and started into the house.

When Loki had proposed that Chris and Sally come to stay with them, Chris had at first been violently opposed to it. "I would not burden you with muh care fer King George's crown and scepter."

However, a couple days later, when he and Fen had just finished doing chores at Chris's cottage and were standing in the common room with mugs of buttermilk, Chris had motioned Loki over to his seat by the fireplace and with tears in his eyes had told him he was ready to take him up on his offer.

"Son, I confess I can no longer watch muh belobed struggle with me ebery day. It pains me, though, to be taking Brenna's room. I would she were home instead."

Loki had reassured him that even were Brenna home, they would add on a room for he and Sally. Chris had wiped his eyes and put his hand on Loki's cheek, "Were we linked by blood, I could not love you more, muh son." Loki had looked away, his hand on Chris's shoulder. "It is settled then, we will make preparations."

It had taken not more than a day before they were ready to leave their home. Loki eased Chris into the rocking chair before the hearth, turned and took the trunk Sally and Helgi were trying to drag inside from the wagon. Eidra, having been relegated to the rocking chair opposite Chris. He caught her watching the others work and leaned forward, patting her knee. "Don't feel wounded, muh pet. Let him treat you like fine china for as long as you can."

Loki returned to the common room, having deposited the trunk in the bedchamber. "Now before I leave to fetch the livestock, do you want me to settle you in bed?"

Chris grimaced, "Tis barely noontime!" He smiled at Fen, "P'haps I'll play Noah to Fen's menagerie."

Loki put his hand on Fen's head before he could bolt for his wooden animals. "He has to come and help me before he may play." Fen's face fell as far as his shoulders but Chris whispered, "Later, lad, your father is right."

Before he left, Loki asked once more whether Chris would like to get into bed but he said he preferred to sit and regale the ladies with stories while they worked, a remark that had Sally rolling her eyes. Loki bent and kissed Eidra, Fen pulling on his sleeve, eager to be off.

Eidra gave a loud sigh as the door closed behind them. "What is it child?" Helgi pulled Eidra's hair back and stroked her cheek.

"Nothing, I am simply restless."

Helgi nodded, "Nesting, you feel like readying the house for the baby."

In truth, she wished desperately to be holed up in her chambers alone with her husband for an entire day. In her present state, intimacy had become a near impossibility and yet she craved it even more despite her discomfort. She wrapped her arms around her. A moon and a half was proving almost unbearable.

The thump on the bridge of her nose startled her awake. She lifted the book she'd been reading from her face. It was about the American Revolution and the writer seemed to have made every effort to make the subject sound excruciatingly dull. Sophie had said some books were good for doing just what this one had done, putting one to sleep. She sat the book down and picked up another one from the short stack beside her. "Irish Folktales" She had leafed through it that morning, finding some names that she recalled hearing her mother speak of in the past. She set it down after a few minutes as well, looking at the clock. It was nearly eleven in the evening. She picked up the next book in the pile. "World Mythology", and opened it at random to Roman Gods.

She started to read but again her eyelids began to droop. She readjusted her position and flipped a bit further back to the section on Greek Gods, glancing at the pictures of broken pottery, elaborate mosaics depicting Ares and Zeus. Then she flipped forward until an image caught her eye. She stared hard at it, recalling the last time she had seen the symbol in the halls of Asgard. Odin's symbol, the Valknut stood out in deep black ink, the words "Norse Gods" in bold gold letters above it. She sat up in the bed, turned the page and began to read.

Chase cracked one eye open and peered at the clock on his nightstand. "One freaking fifteen." he muttered rolling over on his side and pulling the covers closer to his chin. He was just on the edge of sleep when there came a knock on his door and he rose to his elbows as he realized the sound was what had woke him up in the first place. He listened as a voice on the other side whispered, "Chase, oh please wake up."

He nearly fell out of bed pulling on his pajama bottoms. He reached for the door handle, missed and tumbled forward against the door, grabbing for the handle again and flinging the door open. "Bren?"

Without waiting for an invitation, she strode into the room with a large book under her arm and she looked furious. "Uh what's..." She slammed the book on the bed, "Wrong..."

"I cannot believe it." She cried, "I simply cannot!"

Chase picked up the book from the bed, "Believe what?"

She snatched the book from his hands and flipped through it until she found what she had been looking for. She dropped the book back onto the bed and pointed with her finger to the page. Chase leaned over. "Loki." then looked up at Brenna.

"The lies they have written, the outrageous things they have said about my father! Do Midgardians truly believe this tripe?"

Chase took the book and turned it over to read the title on the cover. "Ah Brenna, I'm not too familiar with mythology."

She had started to pace back and forth and as he watched her, Chase thought to himself that in other circumstances, in her pajamas with her hair wild about her face she would have looked incredibly cute but he could see the fire in her eyes.

"Trickster, Liesmith, Silvertongue, and they called him a god, my father, my uncle, my grandfather? Gods?"

He continued to read.

"And it grows worse. They claim he is a frost giant, Jotun, I would know if he were such."

She had balled her hands into fists. "And the most horrible of all, claiming that he had multiple wives, freakish offspring, it makes me sick just to ponder such filth! My father is a prince. My uncle a king, my grandfather king before him."

She sat down hard on the bed, her hands covering her face.

"Uh Bren, I don't think, I mean mythology is ancient. We're talking thousands of years here. This can't be talking about your father really?"

Brenna looked up at him, "My father will only just see forty seasons this year, and they say some accounts have him as the blood brother of Odin. He is the son of Odin."

"Bren, babe," he sat down on the bed beside her hearing her sniffle loudly.

"I should have gone home, perhaps my father was right. How can Midgardians write such horrible things about a prince of the realm? I wish I could leave, travel to another realm, maybe Alfheim, or Vanaheim."

"Brenna, listen don't say that. What would I do without you to brighten my day?"

He put his arm around her and she lay her head on his shoulder, snaking her arm around his stomach as she cried. "I swear you would be the only reason I would stay. Well, for Brian and Sophie too, but that would be it."

"I wouldn't pay any attention, It's a book. Just ignore it."

"But if...everyone else...reads it. This cannot be the...only book on mythology..can it?"

He had only half listened to Brian. He had talked about Loki soon after he had come to see Brenna, but so infatuated with her was Chase, he had ignored him. He had expected, however, she would know everything about her own father. Now he was beginning to believe she only knew of one man and that was the man who had raised her for half of her life. She knew nothing of New York, of what he really was.

She had laid her head in his lap, her sobs slowing, diminishing as he stroked her hair until they finally stopped and Chase realized she had fallen asleep. "Bren?" He whispered, "Baby." but receiving no response, he sighed and lifted her head, pulling her up to the pillow where she shuddered and curled into a ball. He lifted the covers and put them over her, leaned over, kissed her cheek then walked over to the easy chair by the window and draped himself over the arms, staring at the ceiling for a long time until his thoughts finally let him fall asleep.

Brenna stretched as she woke, lay there with her eyes closed for a moment until she heard snoring and she sat up straight in bed. She was still in Chase's room! She could see him in the easy chair sprawled out, mouth open. She swung her legs out over the floor and groaned as she saw the clock. It was almost seven-thirty in the morning. She was supposed to be at the library by eight-fifteen. She would have to miss breakfast and she had no idea how she was going to get from Chase's room to hers in her pajamas without being seen.

She crept up to him and gently shook him by the shoulder receiving no response. She shook him again, harder, "Chase?" and their heads collided as he sat straight up. "Ow, gods!" Brenna cried, holding her head and stepping back.

"Oh baby I'm so sorry!" He twisted around and sat forward in the chair, grabbing her face in his hands.

"Why did you let me sleep here all night?"

Chase patted her cheek, "You were so upset and you fell asleep in my lap so I didn't want to wake you. I figured if you were comfortable enough to relax, I wasn't going to kick you back to your room. It's okay, I was fine in the chair."

"It is not really okay. I am still in my evening wear and I need clothes to wear to class. Can you see me walking into the library dressed like this?"

Chase looked her over. "I don't know, have you seen what some of the students are wearing these days?"

"Chase!"

He stood and held his hands up in the air, "Alright, I'll get dressed, go to your room, get you clothes and bring them back here."

"Will you? Oh I would be forever in your debt!"

Chase took both her hands and kissed them in turn, "Call me a fool for love."

Brenna smiled at him, thinking that just maybe she was beginning to understand the look of devotion that her father and mother always shared when they thought no one else was looking.

"Then we are two of a kind."

Chase peered up and down the hallway, satisfied that it was deserted and slipped into Brenna's room. She had asked him to get her long gray knit dress, her flats and her backpack and all the way to her room, he kept repeating the list to himself. He found the dress and flats in the wardrobe beside the dresser, folded the dress, shoved it into the backpack, opting to carry the flats in his hand, and cracked open the door. He poked his head out, again making sure the hallway was clear, which it appeared to be. He headed back the way he'd come then, unaware of the figure who had just entered the corridor behind him and who now stood, tail twitching as Chase sprinted up the stairs to the boys dormitory floor.

Logan had sprawled on a couch in the library, reading the morning paper as Kurt rambled on. "I mean vat must ve do? Lock der doors each evening? Post hall monitors?"

Logan glanced over the edge of the paper, watching Kurt's tail whip back and forth. "Are you sure you aint' part cat?"

"You haven't heard a vord I have said, have you."

Logan rolled his eyes as he returned to his paper, "I've heard ya, honest I have. I just think that maybe you're getting' too worked up about somethin' you assume has happened."

The front of the paper crumpled before his eyes down to his chest along with Kurt's hand.

"Hey, I'm trying ta read here!"

"Ve are all responsible for der wunderkinder here and das includes all aspects." Kurt dropped into an easy chair, hand across his eyes. "Vich leaves me to question der girl because I have a moral obligation to do so. Ach! Why me?"

Logan had sat up and was trying to refold the paper in his lap. "Look, tell me how old you were when you first did the nasty."

Kurt peeked between his fingers, "I do not recall."

"Bullshit, everyone remembers their first time." Logan put his foot out and kicked at Kurt's leg.

Kurt whipped his tail at Logan's retreating boot and groaned, "I vas fifteen." He put his hand down, "But I am a man. Boys mature differently dan girls."

"Naw they just take more time. Boys are born ready."

Kurt sat up, "But dey are not der ones ve must worry about."

Logan tilted his head, "Ah yeah, they're not the ones who bring home the little bambinos. Well I guess you now have a new subject to teach."

Kurt glared at him, waiting for his remark.

"Sex ed."

"Does der phrase "kiss my ass" mean anything to you?", Kurt growled as the library door opened and Brenna rushed smiled at her as she found a seat at a nearby table and she nodded to him.

"Well I'm off to my self defense class." Logan gestured to Brenna. "When ya gonna sign up kiddo? Ya can't be too careful around the boys these days, gotta be ready to kick some kiester."

Brenna turned bright red, "I shall consider signing up next term, sir."

"I'll look for ya. Kurt, have a nice day." He chuckled as he caught Kurt's golden glare.

Brenna was drawing her books from her backpack when Kurt sat down across the table from her.

"Good morning, Professor Wagner."

"Guten morgen, Brenna. May I see your worksheet on FDR and the New Deal?"

She opened her folder and handed the sheets to him and he leaned back in the chair for a minute, looking them over then leaned forward and put them on the table, taking a pen from his pocket. The silence in the library hung with an air of expectancy as the minutes ticked by. "Very good, Brenna. Vas it hard to grasp?" He slid the paper back to her.

"No, sir."

"Gut."

Brenna was suddenly aware that something was wrong, "Professor, am I in trouble?"

Kurt massaged the bridge of his nose, his eyes closed, "Define trouble."

Brenna thought it an odd request, nevertheless she began, "Trouble, a deviation from the..."

"Ach! No, no, I vas being facetious, Mein Gott!"

Brenna sat back, folding her hands on the table. "I am sorry, I did not ken..."

Kurt put his hand atop hers and his tone softened, "It is not your fault, lieb. I should clarify. I observed Chase leaving your dorm room this morning carrying your backpack and your shoes as he headed upstairs to the boys dorm floor. In der interest of safety, I must ask, did you spend der night in Chase's room?"

Brenna bit her lip, "Yes, sir."

Kurt shook his head, "Brenna, vat can I say. Das is a violation of dorm policy..."

"I know, I did not mean to fall asleep, I..." She had been about to tell him she'd been upset but such was her embarrassment that she choked, "We were talking and I just..."

Kurt patted her hand. "You are much too young for," He paused, sighed, "A physical relationship. Has anyone talked to you about birth control?"

All at once, she knew what he was implying, "Professor Wagner, surely you do not believe I have engaged in carnal relations with Chase?"

"Vell I.."

"Of course you do. I have been so careless. What would it have looked like had I been in your position. I promise you I only visited Chase because I wished to speak to him and fell asleep while doing so! He did not wish to wake me and so slept in his chair. I am so mortified, please.."

"Brenna," Kurt squeezed her hands, "Child, calm yourself. I believe you, I vas only going by vat I saw and I felt it vas my duty to voice my concern."

Brenna nodded, "I ken. I assure you Chase behaved admirably." I would not want to shame my family by acting irresponsibly."

It was a moment before Kurt took in what she was saying.

"Sir?"

Kurt smiled, patted her hand once more and let go. "I must tell you, you are an anomaly as far as teenagers go."

"Is that a good thing?"

Kurt laughed, "Ja, it is, and you may call me Kurt while we are here. Tell no one, hah?"

Brenna smiled.

The rest of the class with Kurt was business as usual but when she had reached Nala's math class, her mind had returned to the subject matter of the night before.

Nala watched Brenna work her fraction problems on the smart board, "You know, I think you might be ready for a math class with students. Would you like that?"

"I suppose."

Nala looked at Brenna, "Are you okay, Bren?"

Brenna had purposely kept her gaze elsewhere for as long as possible when she'd arrived at class. She could not bear to look at Nala, every time she did so. She could only see her father in her mind, blue, the strange tattoos covering his face. She rubbed her eyes as if she could wash away the image in her head.

"Mrs. Harding. I do not feel well." She sat down the chair at her desk. "May I be excused?"

"Do you need to see the nurse?" Nala noted how pale Brenna looked.

"No, ma'am. I did not sleep well last night."

Nala opened the folder before her. "Alright, I suggest you get to bed early tonight. Try to catch up. I'll talk to Ororo about integrating you into the math class next week. I want you to do pages one twenty to one twenty-four in the workbook. Go ahead."

She thanked Nala, gathered her things and headed for her room where she lie face down on the bed trying to clear her mind. In minutes she was asleep.


	22. Chapter 22

He'd sent Fen to fetch the eggs when he had headed into the barn to milk the cows but now he was finished and yet Fen was nowhere to be seen. Loki headed for the coop to check on him and was nearly to the entrance when he heard words that were all too familiar to him, " En varm lys til å lyse min vei." The pronunciation was a bit off and Loki considered going into the coop and correcting him but instead, he stayed outside and listened as Fen repeated the words, a whine entering his voice. Loki stooped low, about to enter the coop when Fen said them once more. This time his voice was clearer, more precise and suddenly a warm orange glow shone around the edges of the flap of burlap at the entrance. Loki heard Fen laugh then and he ducked into the coop. "Very good, Fen."

"Papa!" Fen cried as the light floating above his hand winked out. "I am sorry, I only wanted to try your spell."

"I think you were saying some of the words wrong."

"You are not mad?"

Loki picked up the basket at Fen's feet and started to reach beneath the hens, withdrawing a couple eggs at each nest. "Why? Should I be? Start gathering, Mama will be waiting for us."

Fen scrambled to do his father's bidding.

"You know, that was the first spell I was taught as a boy. Perhaps it is time you learned others. I had no way of knowing if my abilities would be passed down to my children."

Fen stopped, beaming, "Could I, Papa? Could I learn more spells?"

Loki lifted one hen and marked her in his mind. No eggs. She had not laid in two months. Well enough time. She would serve as their evening meal on the morrow.

"I will consider it."

Fen clapped his hands, startling the hens, "Then when Brenna comes home I can show her that I can do magic too."

"Too?" He turned to see Fen, both hands clasped over his mouth, his eyes wide.

"Fen?"

"Papa, do not be mad at her. I promised I would keep her secret and I did but I forgot and now she will be angry with me but she did not want you to know..."

Loki put his hand on Fen's shoulder, "Wait, calm yourself, what can Brenna do?"

Fen seemed ready to leap out of his skin, "She can heal things, Papa. Broken sticks, torn clothes, even people. She heals cuts all the time, once we were climbing in a tree and the branch was about to break and she healed it."

Loki picked up the basket of eggs and gestured towards the entrance. "Go on, fetch one of the milk pails for me."

He had one and was trying for the other when Loki stepped back out into the sunshine. "I shall get the other one." he hefted the pail in his other hand. "And I will not tell her you told me, instead I shall tell her I beat it out of you."

Fen giggled sloshing milk out of the pail. "She will not believe you."

"Will she not?" He muttered as they headed for the cottage.

Eidra was sitting at the table when they came into the cottage. She had before her parchment paper and in her hand a slender quill. Sally and Helgi were at the hearth preparing the morning meal. Eidra looked up from her writing, "Would you like me to send your love to Brenna?"

Loki nodded and sat the basket of eggs and the milk beside Helgi.

Ren had come to visit a couple days before, asking if anything was needed from the city as a merchant friend of hers had business there and would be traveling a couple days hence. Eidra had decided that she would write a letter to Brenna and have it delivered to Thor whom she would also write, asking him it he would somehow have it delivered to Brenna.

"I want to write to her." Fen chimed in at her elbow.

"Then you must sit at the table and be very careful with the ink."

He climbed into the chair beside her and she slid a piece of parchment from her pile, setting it before him. He took a small slender quill and began to write in overlarge script, his tongue stuck to his top lip. While she was watching him, Loki leaned over and whispered in her ear.

"What?! When?" She cried peeking at Fen who took no notice.

"Just now in the chicken coop." He replied quietly and held his fingers to her lips. "We will talk more of it later, when we are alone."

She glanced at Helgi who was smiling at her and she lay a hand at Fen's back while he wrote.

"I love you, Mama."

"I love you too, my big boy."

She had sat that afternoon in her rocking chair trying to finish the blanket she had been knitting for the baby. Helgi had lain down with Fen in his room, trying to convince him to take a nap. Chris was in bed asleep, his soft snore the only sound in the entire cottage. Sally and Loki had ridden to her house to gather more from her garden.

Eidra fanned herself with her hand. Heyannir was ending on an overwarm note. She sighed and started to knit again. She had finished one row and was turning the blanket to begin another when a sharp jab across the small of her back made her drop her needles in her lap. She drew in a sharp breath and for a moment couldn't move. She started to break out in a cold sweat but finally the pain eased and she exhaled slowly. She eased back into the chair at first, then hefted herself up, laid her knitting down in the seat and retired to her bedchamber to lay down where she let herself down on her side, rubbing her belly, humming softly and wishing for Loki to return.

"...Happy birthday to you!"

Brenna had gone bright red but she was grinning from ear to ear as she watched the candles on the pink frosted cake flicker in the air. She looked about her at her closest friends. Brian and Sophie. Chase sat beside her, his arm around her waist. Kurt, who was standing behind her, tapped her on the shoulder, "Now you must make a wish and blow out der candles. Das is der custom here."

She stared into the flames until Chase prodded her, "The candles are gonna melt altogether, come on."

She closed her eyes then, "I wish.."

Everyone started to yell, "No, no!"

Sophie laughed, "You keep the wish to yourself or it won't come true. Just say it in your head."

Brenna wrinkled her nose, "Really? Alright." She thought her wish, took a deep breath and blew out the candles.

Kurt handed her a knife to cut the cake with as Chase started separating the plates.

"What ya think of birthdays now?" Brian asked as he took a plate from Chase.

"They are not so different, except for the cake." She licked the frosting from her finger and smiled.

"I used cherry juice for the coloring, I know how sensitive you are with the artificial stuff." Sophie remarked, "How does it taste?"

"Wonderful!" Brenna took another finger of it from the edge of her plate.

"Hurry up and finish, y'all, I wanna see her open her presents." Brian cried as he spooned the ice cream into his mouth.

"Ach, that reminds me," Kurt put his hand in the inside pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out a padded envelope. "This came for you today in the mail."

Brenna took the envelope and read it. Her name was at the top followed by the address of the school. The return address in the upper left corner was a label which bore the name "Stark Industries"

She opened the padded envelope and out dropped two letter packets, folded and tied with red wool yarn. She covered her mouth with her hand.

Kurt peered over her shoulder, "Letters from home?"

"Yes," she smiled as she slipped them back into the larger envelope. "I'll read them later."

Her thoughts kept straying to the letters as she unwrapped her presents, so great was her curiosity as to their contents. When she had seen the writing, she had known it was her mother who had written the letters and she knew they would only serve to increase her longing for home but she realized she had been eager for them just the same.

Chase had given her a green gem on a gold chain. "It's your birthstone, August is peridot." And had patiently explained the significance of birthstones. She had immediately fastened it about her neck. Brian had given her a slang dictionary and though everyone had laughed, taking it as a joke, she was thrilled with it. "Maybe now y'all will be able to keep up with me."

Sophie presented her with a new pair of knitting needles, a peace sign at the end of the handles and two new skeins of soft gray yarn, joking with Brenna that now she could teach her to knit too "And you can make your bestie a scarf."

Kurt seemed a bit reluctant to present his gift. Both he and Nala had been invited but Nala had declined, having a family get-together to attend.

"It vas hard to decide upon your gift. I thought long on it and pondered what I vould want if I had come to a strange land. I vould want to write everything down, to save my experiences therefore I bought you a journal. Now you vill have a way to look back at your time here and remember."

Brenna was deeply touched that in barely a month and a half, she had made such good friends, telling them that she couldn't thank them enough for all they had done. Still, she was happy when, after the evening meal, she was finally able to be alone with Chase in the Rec room.

She again opened the envelope and drew out the two packets, starting to read while they sprawled on one of the couches, her legs draped over his own.

_Dearest Brenna,_

_I hope these letters find you safe and happy. I hope they find you at all. I begged your Uncle Thor to get them to you somehow and it is my hope he has obliged. There is much to tell you. Uncle Chris has taken ill and he and Aunt Sally stay with us so that we may care for him. The harvest has done well. I have been putting by for the winter months to come as the season heads towards its close. I miss your chatter, your constant presence, greatly. I hope soon you will come back home. I do not wish your unhappiness mind you, but wish you would find greater happiness here instead. Fen misses you terribly as well. Today he surprised father by performing the light spell when he was out doing chores. Father has considered teaching him more spells soon. Father had wondered if either of you would inherit his abilities and it would seem you both have been blessed. Before you judge your brother harshly though, remember he is but a child and your secret was told when he became excited._

_I knew you would be special when you were born with the caul. It portended great things for your future. Perhaps your being on Midgard is the beginning of that greatness. I keep telling myself it is so to reassure, to bolster myself. We all worry day and night about you, your safety is our utmost concern._

_Father sits by the fire at night and I can tell he is thinking of you. He gets such a melancholy look upon his face. I have told him that we are going to visit you after the baby is born. He has no choice in the matter though I doubt he would refuse in the first place. He sends his love as do Helgi, Sally, Chris and Ren. I must say farewell now, the baby tires me and I must often rest. It will be a blessing when I can finally hold her in my arms instead of my belly. I will write again when I can. _

_All my love, _

_Mama_

She refolded the letter and held it in her hands for a few minutes.

"You okay, Bren?"

She nodded and unfolded the second letter which was done in a large childish script.

Dear Brenna,

I miss you. Wen are you coming home? I have ben brushing Blakbery for you. Mama is having a baby soon. She thinks it is anothr gurl. Mama helped me with this letter. Come home.

I love you

Fenris

Brenna wiped the tears from her cheek as she felt Chase's hand rub her knee. "Is there anything I can do? Sing a song, tell a joke?"

Brenna laughed though she wished she still had the Uruz. "No, Chase. I am okay, really I am."

She put the letters back in the envelope and took his hand.

"You wanna watch a movie or something?"

"No I think I will turn in early. It has been a long day."

Once in her room, she slipped the letters beneath her pillow and sat down in her easy chair. She would have invited Chase in but she doubted she would have been very good company. Instead she curled into the cushions, watching out of her window as the sun set over the lake.


	23. Chapter 23

Helgi had waited for as long as she dared before checking on Eidra. Loki and Fen had gone to do chores and Helgi had started the morning meal with Sally.

They had brought Chris to the table and he sat humming contentedly, whittling a small piece of wood. His strength had slowly returned to his left arm and now he could at least brace the small block to carve it with his right hand. He was working on an elephant now.

"I am going to check on her. It is not like her to be so late abed."

"One can hardly blame her, she struggles so to move around the cottage. The baby weighs terrible on her." Chris muttered.

Helgi cracked open the door to find Eidra sitting on the edge of the bed, hunched forward.

"Poppet, whatever is the matter?" Helgi sat beside her and she groaned,

"Helgi, my back hurts so, I wish there were a way to stop it."

"There is dear, but not yet. Are you going to take your meal at the table?"

"Yes, help me up."

Eidra pushed from the bed and Helgi pulled at her arm until she was standing upright. "Loki is still outside, would you like me to call to him? He's a good deal stronger than me."

Eidra shook her head, started walking towards the bedchamber door. "I shall be fine."

When she finally eased herself into a chair beside Chris, he held up the carving, "A fine elephant for Fen, do you not think?"

"I do. It is good to see you carving again."

" 'Tis good to be doing anything again. I'll wager me legs will be right as rain soon enough and then we can stop being a burden on you."

Eidra patted his arm, "Chris, you are most certainly not a burden. Say no more."

Fen came sprinting through the door just as she turned away from Chris, "Mama, Papa is hurt!"

Eidra shoved herself up from the chair as Loki walked into the cottage behind him, holding his right forearm to his chest.

"Loki! The gods wept, what happened?" Eidra immediately reached for his arm but he grimaced.

"Have a care, it is deep."

Helgi had already grabbed a basin, set it on the table and was filling it with water from the pail. "Come here now, let us have a look."

Loki brought his arm away and Eidra shuddered at the sight. A deep bleeding gash had been sliced down the inside of his arm from his elbow almost to his wrist. "I was tying a knot in a rope I had tied to Lightning and was in the process of cutting the rope with my blade when he jerked backwards and the blade caught me. It was so quick that I did not know at first I had been cut."

Helgi had guided him to the basin and now started to submerge his arm into the cold water. He hissed at the needles of pain brought by the contact with the water, felt Eidra's hand at his back.

Chris had moved closer for a look, waving to Sally, "Get a length of heavy thread and a needle. Your skill will be needed."

Loki looked up at Sally whose face had gone pale at the suggestion. "Chris, I haven't sewn a wound in ages...I.."

"Woman, step lively. You can do it, I've faith in you."

With one more glance at the blood red water in the basin, Sally trotted into the bedchamber to fetch her sewing kit.

Eidra put her hands in the water to wipe at the wound, heard him gasp, "It stings, be careful."

"Well you must clear the wound or it will only fester." She tried to be gentle but could see him flinching each time she ran her fingers over the slice.

When Sally returned with the kit, Helgi took a linen cloth and drew his arm from the water, patting it dry. It continued to bleed, though not as heavily as it had when he had first come into the house and Chris had Sally put pressure upon the cut until at last it seemed to have slowed considerably.

It took the better part of an hour for Sally, with trembling hands, to sew up the wound while Eidra dabbed at the oozing blood. Loki sat at the table, arm outstretched, pale, his jaw set. He would wince at each puncture of the needle. Eidra did her best to soothe him, sitting beside him, taking his other hand and telling him to squeeze it when he felt the need. He smiled wanly, "I would be afraid to break your hand. Do not fret."

Watching her lace up the wound reminded Eidra of a night long ago. "Do you remember when I had to fetch Clotho to sew up the wound on your shoulder?" She had looked at the jagged scar countless times, nipped at it, kissed it as they coupled, stroked it in the afterglow.

Loki, however, frowned, "In the dark times before I knew your heart." He winced again, "I try not to visit such memories."

Eidra felt a rush of love so intense, she lay her head upon his shoulder and closed her eyes. "Such a past brought us together here."

She felt him lay his cheek atop her head. "All finished." Sally breathed. "Let's wrap it in linen now shall we?"

All day Sally fretted about her workmanship as Loki came inside from his chores to change the bandage twice throughout the day because it had soaked through with blood. By that evening, the bleeding had stopped but it was sore. He refused to seek out Petter, however, and soon after the evening meal, retired to bed.

"Will Papa be alright?" Fen asked as he played at the table with the newly carved elephant that Chris had finished that afternoon.

"Of course he shall," Chris piped up, "Wounds tire one out. The body heals itself but expends energy in doing so."

Fen looked to Eidra who nodded in assent, holding up the blanket for Helgi and Sally to see, finally finished.

"Eidra, such beautiful work you do, pet." Helgi exclaimed, reaching over and fingering the hem.

"And now I will put it away for the baby." She rose from her chair and a sharp flash of pain raced across her lower back, making her sit back down quickly.

"Poppet, what in the gods names is wrong?" Helgi was at her side at once.

"My back hurts, it is nothing." She put her hand across her belly until the pain subsided. "I am going to pack the blanket away and retire with Loki."

She tried to ignore the look of concern that had passed between Sally and Helgi as she bent over and kissed Fen goodnight. "When Helgi says it is time to sleep. It is time, do you ken?"

"Yes, Mama, I love you,"

"I love you, do not tire Chris out." She winked at Chris who was currently playing the role of Mr. and Mrs. Giraffe.

"Not at all, my dear girl. I delight in his company. Go rest."

She left the common room for the silence of her bedchamber. Loki lay facing away from the door, his breath deep and he groaned as she slid under the coverlet beside him.

"Does it still pain you?" She whispered.

"Yes, it throbs. I shall break down on the morrow and visit Petter to see if he does not have something to ease my discomfort." He curled into her, sighing deeply as she draped her arm around his stomach as far as her belly would allow. "You do not know how very much your mere presence helps me."

"As much as it helps me." She returned, kissing his back and closing her eyes, "And more."

But her eyes did not stay closed for long. She was restless. Twice she struck his arm, waking him up with a yelp, twice she changed positions but her back continued to ache. Finally, when the house was still, she rose from the bed and walked out into the common room.

The fire had been banked and she took a piece of tinder to start the lamp with, leaning over to catch it on fire. It took a moment, but finally it caught and she stood up to light the oil lamp on the table. It was then that she felt a trickle of warmth run down the inside of her legs and at first she was sure her bladder had given way but at the sharp twinge of pain across her back stronger than it had been earlier that evening, she knew.

She stumbled backwards from the fire to her rocking chair where she steadied herself, panic racing her heart, but freezing her feet. "Not again," She whimpered, holding her belly, "Not again."

She took a few steps towards the bedchamber where Loki lay, still asleep, and was brought nearly to a squat as another contraction took all strength from her legs. She let out a breathy whine as she braced herself with her hands to the floor, wanting to call out for help but unwilling to frighten the whole household awake. As she knelt on the floor, trying to bring herself to stand, she heard fast footfalls coming towards her and suddenly Loki's hands were underneath her armpits, lifting her from the floor, guiding her towards the rocking chair again.

"Gods, Eidra did you fall?" He had one hand on her belly, the other on her cheek as he hovered over her.

"No, Loki, call Helgi. My water has broken." She tried to sound calm but the color drained from his face.

"No, it cannot be happening again." Loki rushed to Helgi's door and flung it open.

As she rocked back and forth, she heard Helgi's voice muffled. "It is too early!" and Chris's snort as he woke, "What ho? What's the trouble?"

A moment later, Helgi was at her side, her hand atop Eidra's belly, Sally right behind her, eyes squinting as Loki lit the lantern on the table. "Rock hard, child, gods help us. You are in labor!"

"I will fetch Petter and the midwife. Oh that we could have Clotho here."

He had just put his hand on his cloak when Eidra called out to him. "Loki listen to me." She sat forward in the chair, "I pray you will ken my plea when I beg of you, take me to Midgard."

Loki stood open mouthed until Eidra said, "Loki please?"

"Midgard is the last place in the nine realms I wish for my child to be born in. I will fetch Petter." He had his hand on the door handle.

"Loki, I am afraid there is something wrong. The agent called Lily said that the doctors on Midgard could work magic with babies coming far earlier than this." She moaned again as she felt another contraction envelop her. "Please."

Helgi and Sally stared at him as he wrestled with his hatred of Midgard, his love for Eidra, the fate of his unborn child.

He reached for her cloak and strode to the rocking chair, "Helgi, Sally watch over Fen for me. We will return as soon as we can." He lifted Eidra from the rocking chair and draped her cloak around her shoulders. She realized then that his wound had bled again in the night.

"Loki, you have bled through. We must change the linen."

"There is no time. Helgi send a message to my brother by courier that I have gone to Midgard."

"Of course, but Loki...will she be safe there?" Helgi reached up and cupped Eidra's face, kissing her cheek.

"I will let nothing happen to her or the baby, upon my life. Now help me walk her outside. I would not open the Uruz inside the cottage."

Bruce yawned and scratched his head. He would have much preferred working in Tony's labs but the information he needed was here at S.H.I.E.L.D. He'd been up since five that previous morning. More precisely since the plane had landed at LaGuardia and he'd gotten into the limo that was parked on the tarmac waiting for him. Now, with the information in hand, all that was left for him would be to get a few hours sleep and catch his return flight to Bombay. He looked at his watch. "Three-forty in the morning. It's not going to leave me much nap time."

The elevator door slid open to the third floor and Bruce stepped out, nodding to a passing agent who addressed him as he entered the elevator in turn. "Morning, Doctor Banner."

"Morning." He had said to Fury he was going to crash in his usual suite and he was almost at the door when the light in the corridor seemed to dim and he looked to his right, wondering if perhaps he was so tired, he was hallucinating.

"Loki?" He stumbled backwards into the wall as Loki approached him, a very pregnant, beautiful woman clinging to him, her face bathed in sweat.

"You have to help her." It was a statement, not a request but Bruce just stood there unable to stop staring until Loki grabbed his arm, "She is in labor."

Bruce reached out an arm to steady her as she bent over suddenly, gasping for breath. He could feel Loki's eyes boring into him.

"Come on, let's get her to an exam room. I'll call Fury. "

Banner watched through the glass as Loki stood beside the bed and stroked Eidra's forehead as they talked.

"As near as I can figure, she looks about eight months along but that's only an estimate. We need an ultrasound to tell for certain. She is in labor though."

"Well what do you suggest?"

Banner looked at Fury incredulously, "What do you mean, what do I suggest? I suggest we get her to Bellevue and monitor her, maybe we can stop her labor or at least slow it down but the longer we stand here and talk, the worse it's gonna get."

"I've called Stark, he's on his way here. I'm going to get an Evac unit to the roof. I don't want her on city streets in a goddamn ambulance."

"What about him?" Banner jerked a thumb at the glass, grateful that Loki could not see them.

"What about him then?" Fury had his phone out.

"Well he's going to want to go with her. I can't say as I blame him and he's really touchy about letting her out of his sight. He's even worse when someone touches her."

Banner stared through the glass at Loki. When they had brought Eidra into the exam room, had her get up on the table and then made her put her feet in the stirrups for the exam, Loki had watched Banner and the agent closely but when Banner had put his hands on her stomach to feel the baby's position, Loki had nearly leaped over the table at him.

"Now how do you think I'm going to examine her without touching her? You might want to get used to strange people doing a whole lot of this while you're here with a medical patient."

Loki had backed down muttering, "She insisted we come here. I would much rather be home." Eidra had glared at him then and Banner was surprised to see Loki appear chastised.

"On the roof in ten, yeah." Fury said into the phone, then looked up at Bruce. "I don't want him loose in New York."

"So send agents with him. Stark is coming too, together I think we create a pretty impressive stopgap measure but I think world domination is the last thing on his mind right now."

Fury fixed him with his eye, "The one rule I've always lived by, and it's served me quite well, is that one never blinks in these situations. Don't underestimate him."

Banner saw Eidra's face contort in pain as another contraction wracked her body and Loki's look of desperation as he scanned the room.

"He's an expectant dad, I've seen it before."

"You want him to go with her, then you're going to join us. He'd think twice about acting out with you there."

Banner scratched his head, "I got a flight to Bombay to catch in two hours."

Fury put a hand at Banner's back, "And you will have a flight after this is all said and done, my treat, now come on, the helicopter is on its way."

They could hear the loud thunder of the helicopter blades slicing through the early morning air as the elevator door opened. Two agents pushed the gurney out into the lower level hangar and stopped.

"She's going to have to climb the stairs to the roof. Will she be okay to do that?" One of the agents looked to Fury.

"She's gonna have to be, help her up."

Before the agent could give Eidra his hand, however, Loki was helping her to sit up and she stepped down to the floor, her arm around his waist. "Do not exert yourself. Just lean on me."

As they reached the bottom of the steps, panic started to set in and she backed against him.

"What is up there? Loki is it safe?"

Loki led her up the first few steps, glancing down at the others as they watched from the bottom.

"Yes it is safe. They're going to bring us to a place called a hospital. There you will be cared for."

Another couple steps, "And the baby too, they will care for the baby?"

"Yes, and I will be there with you."

The door at the top of the stairs suddenly flew open and Loki turned to see Stark coming down the steps towards him, "You know, twice in one year with you is a record. Are you gonna make this a habit?"

Eidra stopped suddenly, gripping Loki's hand hard,

"Another spasm?" Loki put his arm around her waist as Tony moved to help.

"Hey, no having babies in the hangar. It's bad luck." Tony took her other arm and draped it over his neck, garnering a glare from Loki as they lifted her up the stairs to the door which stood open. Eidra could feel the rush of air coming through it and nearly backed down the stairs as she saw the thing that was sitting on the rooftop like a giant bird with blades on its head and tail.

"Loki." She moaned, "Oh no."

But Stark was propelling her forward. "It's a helicopter, it'll get you to the hospital a lot faster than an ambulance."

She got as close as she dared then stopped and turned to Tony, "How will this...thing...bring me to this hospital?"

"It's called a helicopter and it's going to fly you there sweetheart," He shot a glance at Loki, "Honestly, haven't you told her anything about the wonders here on...Midgard, right, that what you call the Earth?" He gently urged Eidra forward again, "Come on, we don't want you giving birth overlooking Manhattan."

With a last look at the rotors turning slowly over her head, she closed her eyes, allowing herself to be helped inside by two medics who guided her to a gurney and had her lay down while they secured her.

Fury meanwhile, sat down beside Banner and Stark took the seat across from them but Loki squatted down beside Eidra, watching the medics closely as they listened to her heart and checked her blood pressure, "One-thirty over eighty-five. A little high, probably because you're nervous. Does high blood pressure run in your family?" The medic, a young man with blue eyes and short red hair was writing the numbers on a roll of tape he'd set on the gurney.

"I do not know what blood pressure is."

The medic looked at his partner and raised an eyebrow, "Well yours isn't bad...blood pressure is the force of blood against the walls of arteries."

He took a plastic tray covered with clear wrap and split it open, laying it in her lap. "We're going to start an IV before we take off." He took a stretchy band and tied it around Eidra's right forearm, "but we're just going to use a little butterfly." He turned her hand over and started to tap the veins that rose to the surface. "This your first baby?"

Eidra shook her head, "My fourth."

"Then this is old hat for you." He smiled at her, took a little square cloth and rubbed the top of her hand.

"Cold, what was that?" She could feel Loki's hand at her shoulder, trembling.

"Alcohol, to sterilize the skin. You're gonna feel a little pinch okay? Now you have to hold still." He bent her hand forward,

"What..OW!" As soon as the word was out of her mouth, Loki had the medic pinned by the throat to the interior wall of the helicopter. Banner and Stark were immediately on either side of him trying to pull his hand away as the medic clawed at Loki's hand, his eyes wide, mouth gaping.

"What did you do to her!?" Loki growled.

"Hey, he was doing what he's supposed to do, he's just starting an IV like he said," Banner shouted, yanking on his arm with all his might.

Fury had sidestepped around them and was now before Loki, inches from his face. He could hear Eidra yelling at Loki to stop, "You had better understand that you came here asking us to help and this is exactly what we're trying to do. Now do we let the medic put the IV in so we can get your wife to the hospital or do I have to detain you here in a holding cell?"

"Loki, please let him go!" Eidra cried and groaned as another contraction hit her.

All at once, Loki opened his hand and the medic slid down to sit at the floor of the helicopter, seized with violent coughing, his partner at his side. "Dan, come on, deep breaths. Stay here, I'll finish the IV."

Stark and Banner guided Loki to a seat and sat him down, Stark helping him get strapped in as he talked to him, "Now, I'll tell you everything they're doing to her, alright? I promise they're only trying to help." As Dan's partner knelt beside the gurney and picked up Eidra's arm, Loki tensed but stayed seated, watching as he swabbed her hand again. "Okay now this is going to sting a bit, alright? Just relax."

Eidra, exhausted by the latest contraction, could only nod and set her jaw, panting as the pain in her hand blazed white hot for a moment but not daring to cry out again for fear Loki would come at the medics again. Soon enough, though, the pain subsided and the medic was taping the little needle to her hand. "All done, okay?" he lifted an intravenous bag, as he did so calling to the pilot in the cockpit, "We're ready to go."

The helicopter rose into the sky above Manhattan to start its five minute flight to the rooftop of Bellevue.

"The IV is mostly used to administer medicine directly into the bloodstream when we want it to take effect as quickly as possible." Banner said as he peered out the window at the city below, "I don't know how they do things back on Asgard, but here we try to help our fellow man, or woman as is the case. We're not going to do anything to hurt your wife."

Loki frowned, seeming to pull into himself as Tony stroked his chin, giving him a once over. "You know, I should've had you change. You look like you just stepped out of the Renaissance exhibit at the Museum of Natural history, Jarvis?"

A cultured voice filled the cabin, "Yes sir."

Fury shook his head, "What must it be like in your world?"

Tony held his hand up, "Have a couple suits sent to the maternity ward at Bellevue." He sized Loki up. "Something in a large and tall."

"I see, sir. Are congratulations in order?"

"If they were, you'd be the first to know whether I liked it or not." He waved at Loki, "These you can keep too, since it seems you're gonna be a frequent flyer now.

Loki didn't break his gaze from Eidra but said softly, "Forgive my ignorance of your ways but you do not ken, she is my heart. I live for her, I would die for her."

Tony tapped the screen of his phone, stared at Pepper's face, "You might not believe it but we barbarians here on Earth feel the same way about our own. Maybe if you'd found more out about us before you passed judgment, things would be going a lot smoother right now..oh by the way, your daughter is doing well in school. She's getting good grades, making friends. You could learn a trick or two from her."

Loki whirled around to stare at him, "How do you know of her progress?"

"We keep an eye on her." Fury muttered, "As we said we were going to. Stark here has made it his personal duty to keep his own tabs..."

From the gurney, Eidra's small voice came. "We thank you for that."

Tony sat forward, "Oh you're welcome. It's my pleasure, especially seeing as it's your kid." He cocked a thumb at Loki. There was a sharp jolt as the helicopter touched down, bringing their attention back to the matter at hand when the side doors slid open and a trio of paramedics reached for the gurney.

Tony threw his safety belt off and stood up, "Okay last stop, all out." He offered his hand to Loki who ignored it but stood with him, his eyes never leaving Eidra as they eased the gurney down to the rooftop. Tony clapped him on the back as he eased by him to jump down from the helicopter "Come on, Farmer Bob, let's get this party started."


	24. Chapter 24

Loki stood watching the obstetrician examine Eidra. The unit nurse had come in and told everyone but the father to leave the room until the exam had been finished and at first Fury had refused until the nurse had threatened to call security. He had relented then, grumbling something

about "damned if I come to your rescue when he flips out."

The obstetrician took off his rubber gloves and tossed them in the waste basket as he turned to Loki. "The baby seems to be in the breech position. Normally I'd recommend terbutaline to stop the contractions but she's already dilated three centimeters. It's too late for that so I'm going to recommend we take the baby. The heart rate is low and it drops with each contraction."

"Take the baby, what is meant by that? Take the baby where?" Loki absently reached his hand out to the bed where Eidra lay.

The obstetrician, Doctor Owens, an older man with gray hair, scratched his head, "Nowhere, I mean we're going to perform a caesarean section, you say this is your fourth child?"

Eidra spoke up then, "We have never been to a hospital to give birth. I had all my children in my bed."

"Home birth, right. Well I think the situation here warrants it. The baby is premature and in the wrong position. This is safer than waiting to see if the baby turns and finding out at the last minute that it hasn't. You'll be allowed to be present at the operation and you'll be able to see the baby before they take it to check its vital signs."

"I do not ken...operation..." He felt Eidra's hand steal into his and squeeze.

"It means they're going to open her up and take the baby." A voice came from behind him, he turned to see Tony with an armful of suits. "Wardrobe arrived, just in time too. We gotta get you suited up to meet your newest edition."

He looked down at the white shirt, recalling the last time he'd worn a suit like this. He hated buttons.

"You look handsome, my prince." Eidra murmured. "Oh here it comes." She started to pant, trying to breath as the nurse had suggested, her hands twisted into the blanket over her legs as a strange tone sounded from the tall box the nurse had wheeled into the room when they'd arrived. "It's going to monitor your baby's heart rate and your contractions." She'd said as she wrapped a strap around Eidra's belly.

The same nurse walked into the room and looked at the monitor, turned to Eidra. "How you doing sweetie?"

Eidra nodded and dropped her head back onto the pillow, "Tired,"

The nurse nodded, "It's a lotta work. Pretty soon though, you'll be holding that baby in your arms and this will all be just a memory...until the real work begins."

"How true." Eidra replied as they chuckled together.

"They're just setting up the OR. They'll be down to get you in about twenty minutes."

Banner stood at the window, "Loki, tell me you understand what's going to happen when they take her to the operating room. You're not going to get how you get, right?"

"I fail to see what you mean. You said they are not going to hurt her, have you lied to me?"

Banner looked to Tony, then to Loki who had the suit jacket draped over one arm, his gaze trained on him.

"I didn't lie, the end result is that you will have your baby but there are unpleasant procedures she has to go through, that's all. Starting the epidural can hurt, you may think they're doing something wrong but they aren't. This is important. Do not flip out."

"Flip out..."

"Jesus, he means don't start breaking shit and punching people." Tony stepped up to him and straightened his collar, Loki batting him away, "After this...epidural...then what will they do?"

Banner watched Tony fidgeting with his watch, knowing he was on the alert, "They will make sure she's numb, then they will cut through the epidermal.."

"What!" Loki cried, backing to Eidra's bed.

"Listen," Stark pointed at him, "I got dragged out of my bed real early this morning to come and babysit you once again so I'm going to put this into terms even a child could understand. If she continues to labor like this, you could lose both her and the baby. This operation will prevent that from happening."

Loki glared at him, "Will she be safe if they perform this...operation?"

Tony gave him a curt nod and first then with more conviction, "Yes she will."

"Are we ready to have a baby?"

They turned to see a nurse and an attendant entering the room. The nurse turned off the monitor Eidra had been strapped to since she'd arrived and unsnapped the belt. "We won't need this pretty soon." She pulled up a pole on the bed, slipped the IV bag onto it. "You excited?"

Eidra smiled, "Beyond that."

The nurse returned the smile, "I can imagine. I have two children and it was a thrill each time. Now before we head to the OR, I've got some things for you to sign, permission for us to perform the operation, indemnity, notification that your baby will probably be spending some time in the Neonatal Intensive care unit because it's premature. Here." She handed Eidra a clipboard and a pen. "See that line, sign your name right there." She flipped another paper and another and yet another and waited at Eidra stared at the pen and shook her head.

"Ingenious." She said as she signed where the nurse had indicated and handed her the clipboard. The nurse set the clipboard at the end of the bed then and nodded to the attendant, "Sam, take 'er away."

The attendant pushed at a lever below the bed and started pushing it towards the doorway. "Okay, here we go then."

The hallway was bustling with people. Loki noted that there were at least three agents present and as they followed the bed down to the operating room, the agents were only steps behind. Tony had waved to a tall leggy blond in slacks and a sweater who had been waiting out in the hallway as well and she fell in step beside him.

When they reached the OR doors he was grateful for the chance to leave the rest of the entourage behind, following the bed through where a nurse stopped him and handed him a yellow robe of some sort. "You put it on backwards, opening in the back." She stood waiting until he shrugged it on and proceeded to tie it at his neck.

Save for the trip to Alfheim to appear before the High Court, Eidra could not remember having been more afraid than she was at that moment when they sat her up on the operating table, told her to bend forward and hold still as they started the epidural. While they swabbed the skin at the small of her back, another nurse had gathered the clipboard and was looking at the papers. "What kind of writing is this? It looks like some sort of Gaelic."

Eidra put her head up, "You know this language?"

"My ancestors are Irish and Scottish so I've done a lot of genealogy work. I've seen this writing on old documents but I've never seen anyone use it in writing. What's your name, dear?"

"Eidra," She grunted as they began to press along her back, she could feel another contraction coming on and all at once heard a voice at her back, "A little pinch and pressure, tell us if you feel anything out of the ordinary, cramps in the legs."

She felt the needle stick and the pressure but suddenly a feeling of calm, of relief washed over her as they let her back down on the table and began to cover her up with blue linen squares.

"Feeling anything now?"

She turned her head to the right and saw Doctor Owens smiling at her. He was dressed in light green clothes that seemed to cover up the ones he already had on.

"I do not have anymore pain."

She felt them moving her, knew they were rubbing something on her belly, she could see them doing so but could not feel it upon her skin.

Doctor Owens took out something pointed, it looked like a pen but it was all silver, and he began to poke her belly. "Tell me when you start to feel this."

She saw his hand move further up her belly but she still felt nothing. Finally he reached a spot just under her breasts. "I only just feel you touch me."

"Okay I think it's time to introduce you to the newest member of your family."

Another nurse put a frame over her chest and draped another blue linen over it. When she asked what it was for, the nurse laughed, "Think of it as a splash guard, things can get messy down there. I'm going to get your husband in here and we'll be ready to go."

Moments later, she was looking up into the most beautiful pair of eyes in the world, at least to her. He put his hands on either side of her face and kissed her forehead. He had donned a gown similar to Doctor Owen's.

The nurse had slid a chair over beside the table for him, "Just in case you need it." But he remained standing, watching the doctor make the first incision. Another nurse had wheeled in a covered plastic bin on a stand. There were so many people in the room, it made him feel a bit anxious, overwhelmed and he kept his hand at her shoulder. She always made him feel better, the touch of her skin alone enough to calm him.

Eidra, however, felt disoriented, removed from the whole experience. She was sure it was the medicine they had given her to numb her skin. She tried to raise her head up but found it felt so heavy she couldn't quite do it.

"Loki," Her voice sounded so far away, "What are they doing?"

"It seems as if they are reaching inside to find the baby." He was spellbound, his fingers caressing her cheek. He watched as the doctor shifted his hands around, "Nurse, suction, right there, okay, ready?"

He lifted his hands and Loki could finally see that which he'd felt moving for the last eight moons. "Congratulations, it's a beautiful little girl!"

The nurses clapped but the moment was short lived as all at once they wrapped her in a blanket and whisked her away to a table with a lamp over it. Loki started to walk over to it but one of the nurses steered him to the side. "Give them room to work on her, alright? She's going to be fine."

But she didn't look fine, in fact she wasn't moving. The doctor and the nurses were hunched over her, tapping her feet, gently rubbing her skin which was a deep red almost to purple. "Come on honey, let's get that motor started." one of the nurses cooed.

His legs felt weak, he was trembling. He wanted to cry to her, tell her to fight but his tongue felt pasted to the roof of his mouth. Suddenly her arms flailed outward and she gave a small squeak and Loki's heart felt fair to bursting as the nurses cheered. "There you go, sweetie." She let out another squeak and Loki smiled. He could feel the tears on his cheeks. In that moment it was just him and her, his new daughter. He put out a finger, tentatively to her hand and she found it, trying to grip it as she started to flail, weakly. Too soon, however, they were lifting her from the warmer and putting her into the plastic basin.

"We're taking her to the NICU." The nurse explained, seeing Loki's confusion. "She's going to need some extra oxygen and antibiotics because her lungs aren't developed enough yet. You go tend to the mama. We'll come and get you when she's been settled in, okay?"

He let them lead him to Eidra's side where they were starting to stitch her up. He saw she had closed her eyes and he stroked her cheek. She opened them and looked up at him, "Where is the baby?"

"They have taken her."

"Where?" She wanted to move, wanted to jump from the table but Loki put his hand on her forehead, "They took her to help her. She is small. We will see her soon. Rest, my heart. You have done well."

She smiled but it faded as exhaustion started to overtake her. "Might we name her Cait as we discussed before?"

"If that is your wish, so be it."

Her smile returned, "It is." His hand stroked her hair, easing her mind, relaxing her body and finally she gave in, closing her eyes for the final time, falling into a dreamless sleep.


	25. Chapter 25

The voices, though they were talking quietly, broke the silence that had permeated the room and Eidra opened her eyes but she saw, not her husband, but a woman in a gray pant suit, speaking with a heavyset nurse in blue scrubs with yellow ducks all over it. She reminded Eidra vaguely of Artra. As she began to focus on her surroundings, she recognized the other woman.

"Lily?" She rasped, she was so dry, she wanted to ask the nurse for a drink but couldn't form the words.

Both women looked at the bed and smiled.

"Well it seems the new mommy is awake." The nurse leaned over beside the bed and Eidra felt the back start to rise until she was sitting up. She shifted position a little and was rewarded by sharp prickles of pain across her abdomen that dulled to a throb.

"My name is Anne, I'll be your day nurse today. I wrote my name on the board hanging on the closet, don't be afraid to ask for me by name." She adjusted the blanket for Eidra, "Now on a scale from one to ten, ten being the worse you can imagine, how is your pain?"

Eidra moved again, she felt as if she'd been run over by a wagon and team of four. "Perhaps seven?"

Anne hit the button on the blood pressure monitor that she'd been hooked up to since she'd been brought into the operating room and the band started to tighten around her arm.

"Okay, i'm going to get your vitals and check your chart. Open your mouth," Eidra did as she was bid and Anne popped a thermometer inside. Eidra was becoming rather used to the strange practices on Midgard. She was proud of the fact that she had stopped panicking every time someone approached her now.

"No fever," She watched the monitor until the cuff deflated and wrote the numbers in the chart she'd taken down from the hook by the door.

"I'll go get you something for pain. You can have Tylenol. Then we'll get you out of bed and sitting in a chair. You feel up to that?"

"I shall try. Where is my husband?"

Anne hung the chart back on the hook. "He's still down in the NICU with the baby as far as I know. We'll get you up and on your feet so you can go see her, too."

As the nurse left the room, Eidra turned to Lily, "I am so happy to see you."

Lily smiled at her, "When I heard what had happened, I put my name on the list to..." She hesitated but Eidra finished for her..

"Babysit us?"

Lily looked away, "I prefer to call it standing watch, that way it doesn't sound so bad."

"I do not ken why we need to be watched in the first place."

Soon after she and Loki had come to stay in Rialo with Ren, she had asked him about the years he had been gone and the reason he had been imprisoned in Asgard. He had refused to tell her what had happened, explaining that the past didn't matter anymore. His tone had concerned her but she had let it drop. The treatment they received each time they were on Midgard, however, had decided for her that one day in the future, she would ask him again, not now, however.

"I can't tell you anything classified, I'm sorry."

Eidra shrugged, "Eventually he will tell me. It is alright." She turned to her side and swung her legs out over the floor as Lily stood up, "Hey wait for the nurse."

"I shall."

Lily put her hands behind her back, "So what did you name her?"

"Cait, the name holds special meaning to us."

"Pretty. What about a middle name?"

"Middle? What is a middle name?"

Lily put her hand to her chest, "My name is Lily Beth Andrews, you see?"

"So your middle name is Beth...we do not use them."

Anne had returned by then, seeing Eidra sitting on the side of the bed. "Well you're halfway there already. Eager to see the baby huh?"

Eidra nodded, "Very much."

She had Eidra put her arms around her neck, "Now use me to steady yourself but use your legs to stand. Don't pull yourself up."

Eidra stood slowly, the pain in her lower belly screaming at her and she moaned.

"Yeah, it's going to be a sore few days but once you see that little girl, it'll all go away."

She turned Eidra and eased her into the recliner beside the bed, knelt down in front of her and took out a pair of red socks, slipping them on Eidra's feet after which she looked down and tilted her head. "The stockings smile at me." There were smiley faces on the top of each sock. The nurse laughed.

"It's to remind you to be happy. Did it work?"

Eidra shook her head and the nurse laughed again. "It worked for me, then."

The nurse stood up, "Are you going to breastfeed?"

Eidra gave her a curious look, "Of course, how would the baby eat if I did not. Do you have wet nurses here?"

"Not in this century. If the mother doesn't breastfeed, they use formula like Enfamil or Similac."

At Eidra's look of confusion, the nurse put her hands on her hips, "I gather you've breastfed your other children?"

Eidra nodded, "There was no choice."

"Can I ask a personal question?"

Eidra looked to Lily, "Yes." And Lily was on the alert.

"Are you from one of those groups that reject modern technology?"

Eidra was about to answer, "I am from Asgard." when Lily spoke up.

"They're from a very remote area, geographically isolated."

Eidra caught Lily's eye and the return look she gave her was enough to hold her tongue still.

"So they don't have formula where you're from? That's a new one on me, then you've probably never expressed breast milk before."

Eidra shook her head, "What does it mean?"

The nurse held up a finger, "Hold on," walked over to the sink near the bathroom and picked up a brightly colored satchel, brought it to Eidra and sat it on a large round table beside her. "This is for you, and there's a lot of great stuff in here. Pamphlets, coupons, a soft rattle for the new baby.."

She rummaged inside and pulled out a small booklet which read "Breastfeeding your baby" and handed it to Eidra who took it and politely thumbed through it though she could not read one word.

"You'll need to express milk because premature babies can't latch on at first. They're too small, they're too fragile to be held yet but it's important for them to have that milk so we have a machine that takes the milk from you and puts it in a bottle. You read that booklet and i'll go get the pump. We can try it and then we can bring the milk to the NICU."

When the nurse was out of the room, Eidra handed the booklet to Lily, "I cannot read your language. I can only read Alfari and Asgardian."

As she watched Lily peruse the booklet, she was quiet for a moment, then, "I am beginning to ken, people here do not know of Asgard."

Lily bit her lip, "Not many people do, no." She hated to lie to her but she felt it was in Eidra's best interest. There was no reason to upset her at this point, no reason to explain to her that up until the Avenger team member Thor showed up on Earth some years ago, they were all thought of as myths.

"Then I shall say nothing of it if you think it best."

"I do." Lily nodded.

The nurse had returned and in her hands was a small light green box with a cord attached to it and set it on the table, reached around to the wall and plugged it in, then handed Eidra what looked like a large clear cup with a bottle attached to it. As the nurse began to explain what it was for, Lily started to move for the door, intending to give them privacy but Eidra called to her, "Lily, please stay." So Lily sat back down in the chair at the end of the bed and tried to politely look elsewhere though it proved hard.

"There's nothing to it." The nurse started to loosen Eidra's gown at the neck to draw out a breast and Eidra's eyes grew wide. Lily had to stifle a giggle when she chanced a glance at Eidra. She was red-faced but smiling back at her and Lily knew a connection had been made between them.

The walk to the NICU was laborious. She still felt weak and each step brought a stab of pain though it was muted by the little white pills the nurse had given her to take before she had started the breast pump. Now with the bottle of breast milk in hand, she took Lily's offered arm gratefully, apologizing at her slow pace.

At last they arrived at the reception area and Eidra sat down on one of the couches to catch her breath while Lily spoke to the unit nurse behind the front desk. The nurse walked over to Eidra.

"Let me see your I.D. Bracelet."

Eidra lifted her arm to show the nurse the blue band around her left wrist and the nurse looked at the clipboard in the crook of her arm. "Alright come with me."

Lily helped Eidra to her feet and they started after the nurse but when they reached the door to the unit itself, the nurse turned and saw Lily. "I'm sorry, only immediate family is allowed in at this time."

Lily smiled at Eidra, crooked her finger at the nurse, drawing her aside. Eidra saw Lily take a wallet from her suit pocket and open it to show the nurse who wore a suspicious expression on her face. Lily then leaned over and whispered something in the nurse's ear whereas she sighed loudly and waved them on. "You'll need to put on a sterile gown before you enter the main room."

They entered a room with shelves of gowns and benches to sit on, where the nurse took a gown and handed it to Lily. "You tie it in the back, when you're finished, you may go in."

While Eidra waited for Lily to tie her gown, she looked through the glass wall at the other side of the room through which they could see the little plastic bassinets, some empty, some occupied. Men and women were gathered around those, talking, touching the baby within. There was a small girl on tiptoe peering through the plastic of one bassinet, trying to get a glimpse inside. In the far corner of the room, she could see Loki. He was sitting in a rocking chair beside one of the bassinets, seemingly asleep, his head on a pillow resting on the arm of the chair.

They opened the inner door, the couple at the nearest bassinet nodding and smiling at them. As she drew closer to Loki, her pace slowed, shock setting in at what she was seeing.

The baby lay there in a white nappy, within a forest of tubes and wires. One tiny arm was splinted with an IV tube running from it. Another tube ran down her nose, and a tube connected to a large plastic object ran down her throat, held there with strips of surgical tape. There were tiny patches on her chest attached to wires running out of the bassinet and up to a tv screen above her head. Eidra suddenly felt dizzy, her legs shaky. She gripped Lily's arm to steady herself.

"My poor little girl." She moaned.

Another unit nurse had seen them enter the room and approached them, putting her hand at Eidra's back, startling her, she turned to look at the pretty, plump redhead "My name is Lacey. I'm one of the day nurses here in the unit. Cait had a busy morning. We ran some tests, made her comfortable and..."

"She hardly looks comfortable like that." Eidra rasped, her throat tightening.

"I know," Lacey rubbed her back, "But she really is. She was having a lot of trouble breathing on her own when we got her here so we intubated her to help her breath. The tube going down her nose is her feeding tube since she can't suck on her own yet, oh did you bring breast milk with you? The maternity nurse said you were going to be breastfeeding."

Lily handed her the bottle she'd been carrying and Lacey nodded, "Wonderful, I'll go get a syringe and I'll help you feed your baby, okay?" Before she could walk away, Eidra put her hand on the edge of the bassinet. "Might I touch her?"

"Oh by all means, take care with the wires and tubes. I know it looks scary, touching is the best thing you can do right now. Let her know you're here, rub her head, hold her little hand. It'll help her get stronger and comfort her. I'll be right back."

Eidra put her hand into the bassinet and gently stroked Cait's belly, reveling in the soft skin. At the touch, Cait let out a muffled squeak and Loki's head came up from the pillow.

"Eidra? Gods, I fell asleep. I am sorry." He stood at once, slipping his arm about her waist.

"You have been here all this time, do not apologize for being tired." Her head dropped to his shoulder and Lily backed away to allow them privacy.

"Oh Loki, had we not been here, we would have lost her."

He reached into the bassinet and put his hand atop her head, struck at how big his hand seemed in contrast, stroking the soft down with his thumb. Eidra turned to Lily and nodded at her, "If you had not told me this was possible, I would not have known to come to Midgard. We owe her life to you."

Lily looked down at her shoes, "I was hoping you wouldn't need to come here, if you get my meaning, but I'm glad you decided to." When she looked up again, Loki was staring at her.

"You saved my daughter's life, I will find a way to repay you."

Lily flushed at this, "It was my pleasure."

Lacey had returned with the syringe and Eidra saw it was filled with the milk from the bottle. She watched her attach it to the tube in Cait's nose and motioned for Eidra to take it. "Now press the plunger down very gently. She will only take an ounce or so in this feeding. Don't rush it."

Eidra's hands were trembling as she pressed the plunger down and watched the liquid flow through the tube. Lacey put a fingernail on the syringe, "There is the ounce mark, when the liquid gets to that point, stop and we'll save the rest for the next feeding. See, the milk is going right into her belly and when she gets strong enough, she'll be able to latch on her own."

Eidra looked at the card placed at the end of the bassinet, "What does that say?"

Lacey looked at the card then to her, "It says Cait, weight three pounds, ten ounces, length, eighteen inches. She was a good size for a preemie. It shouldn't be long before you get to hold her and feed her."

Lacey detached the syringe from the tube and capped it. "You'll be able to do this on your own later. The pediatrician on call today is Doctor Bane, he's making rounds right now and he'll be up to discuss the test results with you soon, okay? Call me if you need anything, i'll let you enjoy your new baby."

Eidra put a finger to Cait's cheek and her hand flew up to grip it. Eidra, sore, scared and tired, finally broke down. Loki held her tightly, whispering to her, "Hush, my heart, she will be well."

Loki eased her into the rocking chair and she motioned to Lily who walked over to her and bent down. "Is there any way I can get a message to Brenna? I wish for her to know she has a little sister.


	26. Chapter 26

Brenna sat in one of the lawn chairs on the beach, watching students and staff alike swimming and playing in the lake a few yards away. She was hot, made all the worse by the t-shirt and shorts she was wearing over the bikini she'd donned that morning. Further up the lawn behind her, she could hear loud music blaring from a stereo, kids yelling and laughing, could smell the meat cooking on the grills and she sighed to herself.

The night before the Labor Day picnic, she'd been in the cafeteria helping with the prep for the picnic. The conversation had turned to the activities that were planned for the day, swimming in the lake being one. Brenna had remarked to Sophie that where she came from, boys and girls alike often swam in the nude, adding that they did not, however, swim together. Sophie had taken her aside and told her to come to her room before bed that evening.

Upon arrival, Sophie had presented her with one of her bikinis. At first, Brenna had thought it was a lingerie set. When she had first been shown a brasserie by Miss Munro, of all people, she had been perplexed, explaining that in Asgard, the bodice of a dress uplifted a woman's breasts. Miss Munro had pointed out that she was wearing T-shirts and blouses nowadays and she was too amply endowed to go without, explaining that it was proper etiquette to wear a bra.

Sophie had told her it was swimwear and she had practically dropped to the floor. Sophie had told her that boys and girls swam together here, and were at least partially clothed, begged her to try it on. She had relented, later standing in front of her full length mirror admiring her reflection, how much she had filled out, how much older she now looked. She had then told Sophie that the bikini was almost worse than being nude. With the bikini on, she felt as if she were only partially dressed, it was much worse than going out naked. In the end, though, she had thanked her for the use of the swimwear and taken it to her room with her.

So there she sat, toes fiddling with the towel before her on the sand, watching as Chase trotted up to her from the lake dressed in a pair of cutoffs.

"Bren, come on." He pleaded with her, "Come swimming with me. I'm telling you, no one is going to give you a second glance, at least not because you're wearing a bikini...well I mean they might because you're wearing a bikini but not for the reasons you think...come on...please? Don't be so shy."

She sunk further into the chair. "I feel embarrassed. It's like being caught half dressed."

Chase dropped onto the towel in front of her. "Alright, okay, I'll sit here with you."

"I did not say you must," She muttered. She felt guilty for being so reluctant and her guilt only made her sullen. She wanted to have fun with her friends, she wanted to swim and dance and try barbecued spare ribs.

She glanced down at Chase who sat there, arms wrapped around his knees, squinting at the sun's glare and took a deep breath. When she stood up, Chase turned and jumped to his feet.

"Stand in front of me so that I may take my...gods...clothes off."

Chase grinned and picked up the towel, curving it around his shoulders so that she was mostly hidden from view. "Anything for you, sweetheart. Trust me, you'll have fun."

She folded her shorts and shirt and put them on the chair then peeked over his shoulder at the people in the water.

"You will not leave me? You will stay right by my side?"

He nodded, "Of course." as he slowly let the towel back down to the sand. "I will hold your hand every step of the way."

She frowned, "I am not a child, honestly. Just stay close."

Nevertheless, she took his hand as he led her away from the chair, keeping her head down, sure that everyone was now staring at her. She could see the water's edge approach and she was ankle deep when she heard a yell and looked up.

"Heeey! Well looka who done got they behind outta that chair." Brian came splashing towards them as Brenna flushed crimson.

"Jesus Bri," Chase muttered, "You maybe want to throw up a neon sign or something? Girl's trying to ease into this."

Brian stopped short and hunched over, putting a finger to his lips. "Gonna put a Elmer Fudd spin on it for y'all. I'll be vewwy vewwy quiet."

Brenna giggled, they could always make her laugh. There had been times she had regretted her decision to stay on Midgard when her homework got too hard or she failed to understand something that had been said, or merely when she became homesick. Those were the times they had lifted her spirits, made her happy she'd remained, stuck it out, as Chase had said.

Brian dropped back into the water to float on his back. "Well c'mon. Y'all gonna stand there getting your ankles all wrinkly?"

She inched further into the water, shivering as the water rose up her legs.

"So" Brian swam about them, "Don't y'all swim in Asgard?"

"Of course we do, though the boys have more opportunity to do so than the girls. We're usually the ones keeping house, doing chores, making meals."

"Well then what you scared of? This must be paradise for you."

She looked at the people swimming about.

"It is this small bathing suit." She was nearly waist deep now, "It is as if I were going swimming in my clothes."

"Brian stood and put his hands on his hips. "Well what you wear back home to go swimming, girl?"

"Nothing."

Brian slapped his hands atop his head, "Oh man, straight up? That is sick...where do I sign up for that tour of duty?"

"You know what?" Chase splashed him, "You are depraved."

Brian splashed him back, kicking water at Brenna as well, who squealed. "Naw, don't go lying. You just playing mister nice guy. You be there in a heartbeat otherwise."

Pretty soon Brenna joined in, splashing them until she was soaked, then they heard the whistle of the lifeguard and a yell. "Enough horseplay."

Brenna ducked under the water and came up shoulder deep. She felt much better in deeper water, not as self conscious as before. Sophie swam up to her with Dylan who nodded and smiled shyly.

"Finally, I thought you would never get in the water."

"Chase convinced me to try it." Brenna dove under and came back up.

"Yeah she'd be okay if we was all swimming in our birthday suits." Brian laughed.

Sophie glared at him and looked at Brenna, "Don't forget what I told you about men..."

Brenna gave a nod, "They are pigs."

Kurt felt a presence at his elbow and he gripped the wine cooler in his hand a bit tighter.

"Hey blue boy, you said you didn't imbibe." Logan took a gulp of his beer.

"I did not say I didn't indulge once in a while, I said I did not get falling down drunk every weekend." He poked Logan in the side with his tail, expecting retaliation but Logan grunted.

"What I do in the privacy of my rooms is my business...besides things hurt less when you can't see straight."

They watched the students playing in the water for a bit, "I see your charge is fitting right in now. She a good student?"

Kurt considered his answer, "She is smart, ja. She comprehends things but she still struggles vith der culture, history is a challenge."

"How so?"

Kurt turned his head to glance at him and he saw his image, unshaven, rough reflected in Kurt's sunglasses. "When you have grown up with der history of a completely different land, you have a twofold problem. Den you are learning geography and history at der same time." he sighed, "Vat about you?"

A smile played about Logan's lips, "She's a tough cookie. She learns the moves pretty quick. I wonder if it's genetic. Maybe her dad taught her a bit too. She managed to throw me pretty hard last week."

"Genetics, indeed it may be..." he paused, pursed his lips, then took a sip of the wine cooler.

"Don't hold back on me, chum. Spill your guts." Logan tapped Kurt's bottle to his own.

Kurt pulled the wine cooler closer, "Have you searched der database for her father?"

"Should I?" Logan drained his beer.

"Lets just say I wouldn't vant to be der one to have him to a conference where bad news vas going to be passed along."

"Well we know who the hell he is...didn't you?"

"Ja, I just dug a little deeper is all. It is better to be prepared is it not?"

"Prepared for what?" Logan lifted the lid of the small cooler at his feet, dropped the empty inside and pulled out a full one as Kurt shook his head.

"Temper tantrums..."

"From him?" He dropped the cap into the open cooler and took a swig.

"Perhaps, maybe from her...ve haven't really taken a good look at her mutation yet. I vill suggest that to Ororo soon."

"What are you going to suggest to me?" Came the voice behind him and he whipped around, nearly losing his footing on the sloping ground.

Ororo stood there in black shorts and a yellow v-neck shirt with an apron tied around her waist, a long three pronged fork in her hand. Kurt was glad of his sunglasses, she was breathtaking and he couldn't help staring at her.

"I vas saying ve should maybe look at Brenna's mutation a little closer."

"Oh?" She cocked her head. "Thinking she might take after her papa?"

He nodded, "Haven't you thought der same thing?"

She looked past them to where Chase was trying to teach Brenna to float on her back. "I've thought plenty of things, that being one of them. Fine, make it so. Explain to her that we would like to look at her genetic makeup. Ask her if she'll let us draw her blood for analysis this week."

"Another lab rat huh?" Logan quipped and Ororo pointed at his beer with the fork, "Don't overdo it today Logan or I'm going to cut your rations."

He snickered at first, then mumbled, "Yeah, yeah."

From out of nowhere, the Darth Vader theme began to play and Ororo fumbled in her pocket while Kurt and Logan exchanged smiles.

She tapped the screen of her cell phone, "Yes?" Her mouth dropped open, "Yes she is but we're down by the lake at our annual picnic." She looked at Kurt and Logan, "Oh?...oh my...um, okay give me ten minutes and call my office phone, we'll be there...yes...alright, bye."

Ororo stuffed the phone in her pocket and started at a trot for the lake as Kurt called to her, "Vat is wrong? Bad news?"

"No," She called over her shoulder, "Not really, I'll fill you in later."

They watched her run to the water's edge and call Brenna's name, saw Brenna come out of the water and Ororo say something as she pointed towards the mansion behind them. When Chase made to follow them, Ororo put her hand out and he stopped, a look of shock on his face. As they passed her chair, she grabbed the towel draped over it and put it over her shoulders, following Ororo at a quick trot. As they headed up the lawn, Logan took another swig of his beer, "Be prepared huh?"

"Ja," Kurt nodded, "For everything."

Brenna sat shivering in Ororo's office. A phone call? She was going to get a phone call? And Ororo had no idea from whom...she wondered if possibly something was wrong at home, if someone was sick. She was pondering the myriad reasons when the phone on her desk rang and they jumped. Ororo answered it, "Hello?...this is Miss Munro, headmistress of Xavier's school, who is this?"

Brenna saw her eyes widen, "Yes she is.." Ororo waved for Brenna to take the phone and she retreated to the other side of the room as Brenna sat down in Ororo's chair and held the phone to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Brenna, is that you?"

"Mama? MAMA!" Brenna cried, felt the tears immediately come to her eyes. "Where are you? How can you be calling me?"

"Oh Bren, I am in the city called New York."

"You're in New York? Why, is something wrong?" She sat up in the chair.

"I had the baby too early. She arrived yesterday."

"But why did you come here then? Is the baby alright?"

She could hear the squeaking cry in the background and her father's voice muffled but distinct, "She needs to be changed." And her mother's voice faint as she turned her head away from the phone. "I shall be right there unless you wish to try again?"

"Father is there too? Why? Where are you?"

"We are in a place called Bellevue, it is a hospital. When we came to New York to find you, I spoke with an agent who told me that Midgardians could perform miracles when babies were born early so when I found my water had broken, I begged your father to bring me here." She could hear her mother's voice start to break and she hugged the phone, wishing she could feel it on the other end, "If we had not done so, we would have lost her like we did Silas."

"Her, I have another sister?"

"Yes, we named her Cait, the name we had orignally chosen for you but fate changed for us. Do you like it?"

"Well yes, of course. So she is well?"

There was a long pause on the other end and her mother's voice wavered, "We spoke to the physician this morning. She is weak, her lungs are undeveloped and she has a problem with her heart. The physician called it Hypo..plastic.." She heard her father finish for her in the background, "Left heart. They think that perhaps that was why she was born early, because she was sick."

"What does that mean? Will she be alright?"

Her mother sniffed and Brenna knew she was crying, "Without an operation to fix her heart, she will die."

Brenna had looked at numerous medical journals in the library, reading about heart and organ transplants, diseases, setting broken bones, trauma, surgery. She had devoured the books eagerly, and Kurt had teased that she should maybe study to become a doctor.

"Mama, no. Are they going to perform it for her?" Brenna jumped up from the chair and ran to the window, looking down at the barbecue by the lake, searching for Chase.

"They said they would do this operation on the morrow."

"I wish I could be there with you for it, I miss you Mama."

"We miss you too, my precious one." Brenna heard her father in the background again, "How did I do?" And her mother's answer, "Very well, my love."

"I must go now, the nurse is here and I must feed Cait. I will ask them to let me call you again after Cait's operation."

"Promise you will. Promise you will call me, Mama."

"I will beg them if need be. Are you being a good girl there at this school?"

"Yes Mama...Mama? I love you."

"I love you too, poppet."

When she hung up the phone, she looked to see Ororo walking towards the desk.

"Your mama had her baby? Here in New York?"

"Yes..." She put her hands over her mouth as she dropped in Ororo's chair. "It seems like a dream."

"Do you want to go to your room, lie down? You look pale." Ororo put her hand on Brenna's shoulder.

"I think I'll return to the picnic...I want to talk to Chase." Brenna stood up, heading for the door but Ororo stopped her. "Be careful what you tell him, or anyone else. Do you understand?"

Brenna nodded, "I only wish to talk to Chase, to tell him that I have a new sister."

Ororo took her shoulders in her hands and looked into her eyes, "Alright," She released her then, "Congratulations on the new addition to the family."

Ororo watched her run out of the office then looked to her phone, wondering if she should call Fury back and get more details about what had happened but her pager went off. It was Scott, "Probably getting backed up at the grill." She shook her head and took off behind Brenna to return to the picnic.

Brenna's mind was working all the way down to the lake and by the time she had reached Chase who met her halfway up the beach, she could barely contain herself.

"What happened, who called?" Chase whispered and Brenna was surprised at his astute judgment of secrecy.

"My mother, she is here in New York."

"Here? In the city or the state?"

Brenna shaded her eyes, searching for Sophie and Brian in the water. "City, she said she was in a place called Bellevue. She had my sister there."

Chase smiled and hugged her, "That's great, what'd they name her?"

Brenna saw Brian look up and she waved to him to come to her. "Cait. It was to be my name but they had to change it. The story is long, I shall tell you someday." Brian was trotting up the beach towards them.

"Is everything okay?" Chase took note of Brenna's worried expression.

"No, the baby is very ill. They are going to perform an operation on her heart on the morrow."

Brian slowed to a halt beside them as Chase put his hand behind his neck and rubbed it.

"What's up, y'all? Everything straight?"

"It will be. I need your help later tonight, yours and Chase's."

"Tonight? What for. What's going down, dude?" Brian glanced at Chase who looked thoroughly confused.

"We cannot talk here, " Brenna's eyes shifted over to where Kurt and Logan stood, still talking. "Follow me." She started back up the slope to the mansion and they fell in step beside her.

"Brenna, what are you up to?" Chase took her arm.

"My little sister is sick and I intend to help her."

"Brenna..."

Brian leaned over and caught her eye, "Little sister? Yo mama had dat baby? Isn't it early?"

"Yes she had it here, in New York." They had reached the tennis courts where there were a couple of nets occupied.

"In the city? Dayum, your parents relocate or something? Still don't explain why you need me."

"We have to go to this place called Bellevue tonight, the morrow will be too late." Chase stopped along with Brian and Brenna turned to face them, "I am going to heal my sister."


	27. Chapter 27

Chase stood with Brenna in the car garage waiting for Brian. He glanced at his watch, almost eleven p.m. Every little noise they heard made them jump. "This is crazy Bren. Did you ever think to ask if you could visit them?"

"By the time I received permission, providing I did at all, it would be too late. They would have already performed the operation. I mean I cannot go to Miss Munro right now and say, "Pardon me but do you think I could possibly get you to bring me to Bellevue hospital? When? Why right now of course." This is the only option."

"If you don't mind my asking, how do you know you can do this? You said you've healed small things like cuts and tree branches. How do you know you could heal a human heart?"

Brenna frowned, "I do not know, but I must try. Would you not do the same?"

At the sound of a door opening, they ducked down behind Brian's car until they saw it was him and stood up.

"We all gonna get in trouble for this." He looked behind him as if worried he'd been followed, "I mean we go to the corner store for soda and chips with you and we gots ta get permission. You talking bout all the way into Manhattan."

Chase saw the look of sudden indecision on Brenna's face, the worry, the panic.

"Dude, let me borrow your car then. I'll bring her, you can say I snuck into your room and stole your keys if you want."

"Uh uh," Brian shook his head, hit the garage door switch and unlocked the car as Brenna winced at the loud rumble of the garage door rising into the ceiling, "Ain't nobody gonna believe that and besides, I don't trust you driving Baby Girl. Get in and let's get this shit overwith."

Brenna leaned forward from the backseat between the two of them. Brian kept his eyes on the traffic on Interstate 684 which, though not as heavy so late at night, was still enough to be a nuisance.

"I've extended my reach to at least two hundred yards but it's a stretch. It takes a lot of energy out of me but I try to push myself further each time. Here's the question though, are we going to just walk into the hospital like we own it and start busting up the place? What is the plan? I can only hold time just so long." Chase turned to her, "How much time will you need?"

"I do not know." She drew her fingers through her hair nervously, "Healing takes much out of me as well."

She had discovered her limitations when she'd first met Sophie and started fixing things for students. One day she must have helped thirty students in the span of eight hours and by the evening meal, she was so exhausted she could barely move from her bed. Sophie and Chase had brought her supper up to her and Sophie had apologized profusely for bringing her to the attention of so many students. When she had healed a cut on Fen's arm once long ago, it had taken her a day to feel herself again. The complexity of the damage seemed to dictate the effort she had to expend in turn though she could push herself if she needed to.

"Well I can maybe hold it for ten minutes tops and that's pushing the envelope." Chase looked out at the distant lights of the city.

"I can manage the locks, y'all, if they's a need but what if they don't let us past the front desk?"

Chase looked at Brian, "I'll handle that too. If we keep walking, it'll seem like a blink to whoever's there."

"Aight, as long as you think you can pull it off. It's your call."

They sat in the parking garage looking at Chase's phone, "The neonatal intensive care unit is located in H-building nine north...must mean ninth floor..." He glanced at Brenna, "You know they let family members in twenty four hours a day. We wouldn't have to sneak in if you said you were related to the patient."

Brenna shook her head, "You said so yourself, I have nothing with which to identify myself except the student badge I was issued, and if they did identify me and let me in, there would be a record of my visit and I would rather not have anyone know where we have gone. If Miss Munro finds out I was off school grounds without permission, she may send me back home to Asgard, or at the very least notify my parents that I disobeyed the rules."

Brian sat in the driver's seat, head against the headrest, tongue hanging out of his mouth as he listened to the conversation, then opened his door, "And the later we wait, the worse it gonna be if someone finds the car missing and us gone. Enough with the talking, let's do this if we gonna."

Chase had told them to stay close to him and keep walking as he waved his hand when they approached the security desk. She snuck a look at the officer behind the desk. He had started to stand up when he saw them and was now frozen in mid challenge, mouth pursed, hand extended.

"Straight ahead, through that archway." Chase pointed to a tall carved stone arch that led down a long hallway. Brenna looked behind her, they way they had come and she saw the security officer stumble forward, regain his balance then stand there scratching his bald head.

"Hey, there's a set a elevators over here to the right. Let's see..." Brian pointed to a list on the wall between the doors. "Aha, there, neonatal intensive care unit, ninth floor north."

They slid past a nurse and a couple of women getting out of the elevator, Brenna trying hard to avoid their stares as the door slid closed behind them. "They looking at us because we teenagers that's all. Teenagers always in trouble."

Chase was shaking, Brenna could feel it as she took his hand in hers, "I am so sorry I asked you to do this." She whispered, "You should have told me no."

"It was important to you, I couldn't let you down. Besides, if you can do it, this'll be a lot better than putting a baby through an operation. I just hope I can hold everything long enough for you to work your magic."

"It is not magic, it is..."

"A figure of speech, Bren...now just let me do what I have to okay?"

The doors opened into a reception area with a large desk towards the back. There was a nurse sitting behind it, facing a computer to her right. When she heard the elevator doors, she turned and stared at them. "Visiting hours are over for the day. Only immediate family allowed until tomorrow morning."

As Chase waved his hand, Brian tried the door to the right but it wouldn't budge. "I think they gotta buzz you in from inside or something." Chase vaulted over the front of the reception desk right by the nurse who sat stock still, an expression of disinterest on her face, and exited through a doorway at the back of the room. Moments later, the door swung open, "Come on,"

To their left was a room with shelves of gowns and booties, "Should we get gowned up, I don't wanna make nobody sick."

Chase shook his head as he looked down the long corridor and waved his hand, "No time, damn I hope I'm gauging this right." Brenna noted he'd started to break out in a sweat.

To their right a little ways down the hall was a large glass walled room, They peered inside at the people, Brenna stepped inside and stared about the room. "She is not in here."

"Maybe she's in a room, hurry, you check one side of the hall we'll check the other."

They had gone halfway down the hallway and Brenna was beginning to panic, maybe it was too late, maybe she had taken a turn for the worse and they had needed to perform the operation. "Chase," she called, "What if someone comes up to this floor? Will they be affected as well?"

"Yeah but the more people I affect the more it draws on my energy. Hey, I found them!"

Brenna raced down the hall to where Chase and Brian stood outside a room on the left side of the hall. She peered into the semi darkness to see her father stretched out on a cot, sound asleep. Her mother in a rocking chair, likewise beside him, her knitting in her lap. "Stay right beside me, I'll tighten the circle."

They inched into the room slowly until they were beside the bassinet. She gazed at her new sister with a mixture of wonder and fear. She seemed to be tied down by a mass of tubes and wires and tape. She was ghostly pale and languid, her breathing was shallow but even, the machine doing the work for her.

Brenna put her hands palm together and to her lips suddenly frightened. What if she couldn't help her, what if she could only do half the job, leaving her worse off than before. What if, gods forbid, she killed her instead of healing her?

"Chase, I am afraid."

Chase rubbed her back, "I got faith in you, hon, but I don't have as much in myself, you gotta hurry up and try if you're gonna or we're going to have to abort the mission." he looked over at Brian who was staring open mouthed at Loki and elbowed him.

"Oh, uh you can do it girl."

Brenna opened her right hand, palm down and after a deep breath, put it against Cait's chest. Immediately she could feel the abnormality in her heart, her underdeveloped lungs and she closed her eyes.

Chase and Brian watched awestruck as she began to glow with a warm yellow light, infusing her body, her hair beginning to shift and swirl, clothes fluttering as if moved by an invisible wind transformed into an energy that slid down her arms to the baby, bathing her in the same glow. Brenna could see the heart changing on a molecular level, cells altering, changing, redividing, moving into their correct place, blood vessels sliding in to make new connections, blood coursing through them. The lungs growing healthier, stronger, her color changing from pale gray to peach to pink. Finally just as Chase was about to warn her he was nearly spent, she broke the connection and dropped to her knees beside the bassinet. "Brenna!" He cried, "Brian, help her up, we gotta go."

Brian bent down and scooped her up in his arms, "Jesus, girl, you done shot your whole wad there."

They started off back down the hallway, Chase punching the button for the elevator doors. As they entered the elevator, he could see the nurse at the station start to stir. Brian stood Brenna up, supporting her on one side, Chase on the other.

"Holy shit, Bren. Are you going to be okay?" Chase murmured.

She nodded, shrugged them off, "I will be fine. I have never healed something so complex as a heart. It was amazing and terrifying at the same time." She breathed deeply.

"So you think you did it?"

"I think so."

The elevator doors slid open and they headed back down the corridor to the archway where the security officer stood facing the hospital entrance, speaking on a cell phone. "Stay close." Chase muttered as he waved his hand and they sped past the officer again, out through the front doors into the early morning darkness.

As they reached the car in the parking garage, Brian let out a whoop, "We did it! We done pulled it off! We outta the park!"

"Man will you shut up and unlock the car. We're not home yet, don't jinx it."

The soft tonal beeping woke Eidra from her light doze. She dropped her knitting into her seat as she rushed to the bassinet then out into the hall where a nurse was heading for her doorway. "Is something wrong with the baby?" Eidra cried.

The nurse walked to the bassinet and looked at the monitor, "Let me call the pediatrician who's on call tonight, she seems to be trying to breath on her own." She walked to the phone on the wall. Loki had sat up when he heard the nurse's voice and now he was at the side of the bassinet with Eidra.

"What has happened?" Loki had his hand at Cait's brow, soothing her with slow strokes.

"I do not know." Eidra curled into his side, "I do not know."

It was nearly four in the morning when they pulled into the garage at the mansion and crept into the dark staff kitchen. "Okay, I'll talk to you in the morning. Try to get some sleep." Chase gave her a quick peck and ran off into the dimly lit hallway, Brian behind him. Brenna was about to follow when she heard the dull clink of glass on wood. She froze in the archway out of the kitchen and turned around to peer into the darkness until she found a silhouette outlined against the set of bay windows looking out onto the mansion's front lawn.

From the gloom came a voice, "You know you're in trouble dontcha?"

"Yes, sir." Brenna put her hands on her hips.

She heard Logan chuckle, "You didn't try to lie your way out of it, I'll give ya that."

She stared at her shoes and shook her head, heard him swallow as he took a drink of whatever he had in the bottle before him.

"I ain't gonna say nothing to nobody right now but you and I are gonna have a talk tomorrow."

When she still didn't answer, he stood up. "It wouldn't be half so bad if we wasn't under Fury's thumb with you."

She was tempted to ask what he meant but he continued, "And I don't want you screwing up on my watch. I'd never hear the end of it, and neither would you."

He walked up to her until she could make out his features, "Now get to bed."

"Yes sir." She turned and was off on a run down the hallway.

He shook his head and tossed the empty beer bottle into the recyclables bin by the refrigerator. "Gotta nail these kids down, nowadays."


	28. Chapter 28

She was lying in bed staring at the ceiling when she heard the knock on her door. She looked over at her clock. It was eight-thirty. She sighed and sat up. "Come in"

She expected Logan to be standing in the doorway when the door swung open, instead it was Miss Munro. "Why aren't you up and dressed? Don't you have a class with Professor Wagner at nine?"

"Yes, Ma'am. I was about to get up."

Brenna stood and stretched, walking over to the wardrobe to pick out an outfit to wear.

"Well your class is canceled in any case. You've been invited to the hospital to see your new sister today."

Brenna froze, her hand reaching for a purple jersey dress, she glanced over her shoulder at Miss Munro. "I have?"

"Yes," Miss Munro frowned, "You're surprised?"

"A bit, yes. I did not think they wanted to...see me."

"Now that's silly. Why wouldn't they want to see their own daughter?"

She chewed her lip, had they figured out what happened already? She took the dress down from the rack and held it in front of her like a shield. "I just thought they would be too busy with a new baby. Are you going to bring me?"

"No, a car will be here shortly for you." Seeing Brenna's hesitation, Miss Munro smiled, "Come on, it's been a while since you've seen your parents aren't you even a little excited?"

Brenna gave a nod and pushed a smile to the surface in return. "Do I have to go alone?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry, no extras today. Get dressed, I'll see you in the foyer in a few minutes."

Brenna dressed slowly, all manner of scenarios running through her head. They must have figured it out that she'd been there. She was certain of that. If her father now knew she could heal with a touch, he was far from stupid, he would deduce what had happened.

When she got to the top of the staircase leading to the foyer, she looked down to see Miss Munro and Logan talking to a man dressed in a dark suit, wearing sunglasses. She started down the stairs then and only when she reached the group did she recall that this was one of the men who had been here with her father when he had found her at the school.

Miss Munro turned to her, "Brenna, this is Mister Stark. He's going to escort you to the hospital and back today."

"Thank you." She said, barely above a whisper. She wanted to sink into a hole and disappear in all actuality, especially when she met Logan's eyes.

"Well let us get moving, your parents were really eager to see you." Tony waved his hand at the front door with a flourish, "Your chariot awaits."

The interior of the limousine was vast and for a while she just sat staring about at the TV, the little bar, watching out the windows as Mister Stark talked unceasingly on a cell phone. She caught snippets of conversation though they made no sense to her. "...well make the same offer to them again...well word it differently...I want to make this merger happen...that's as high as I'll go."

They were nearly into the city when he closed his phone. "Sorry, big business. You're not old enough to drink are you? No. How about a soda? Juice, water? I got it all."

He reached over to the small bar and opened a door beneath it. She saw a bottle of orange juice and realized she hadn't had time for her morning meal before she'd left. "Might I have that orange juice, please?"

He pulled it out from beneath the bar and handed it to her. "Where did you learn your manners from?"

She shrugged, "From my parents, I suppose, and my guardian Helgi."

"Helgi, who's he?"

"Helgi is a she. She used to work in the staff kitchens at the palace. She took care of me after I was born. When I was six, we went to live with my mother and father in Rialo."

Mister Stark sat back in his seat. "You mean you didn't live with your parents for the first six years of your life?"

"I did not know them."

"You didn't know your own parents?"

"No I did not. All I had was Helgi and Ren, she lives in Rialo. I did not know whether my parents were dead or alive until I came to live with them and even then I was not told who they were until I was all of ten seasons. When I would ask why they had left me with Helgi, they would tell me they would explain everything when I was old enough to ken. Eventually, I stopped asking."

Stark tapped his chin with a finger, "Were you surprised, angry? I would have been angry."

Brenna thought about it, "I suppose I was angry at first but I had loved mama.." Here she reddened at the endearment, "...my mother from the first time I met her. I was afraid of father. When they came to stay in Rialo, two boys I used to play with, Silvan and Moran, began to tell me horrible stories about him. I shant relate them because they most decidedly are not true but at the time they terrified me and I was afraid for the longest time even to speak in his presence."

Mister Stark stretched out his legs and slung his arms over the back of the seat.

"He must have been a tyrant huh?"

Brenna was unsure if being on her own these past couple months had softened her, if she felt the need to defend her family in the face of this unfamiliar Midgardian, or worse, that she was simply growing up.

"Far from it. I had chores to do each day. I would often be charged with watching my little brother while my parents worked the farm.."

"Farmer, still can't believe it..." Tony mumbled.

"I felt it was unfair, that it was the only purpose I served sometimes."

"And they kept you chained up and fed you bread and water otherwise?"

She knew he was teasing her though she thought he might be half serious at first.

"They most certainly did not. They took care of my every need. I never wanted for anything."

Stark cocked his head to one side, "Then why did you run away? I mean there had to be a reason." The more he prodded, the more she felt he was baiting her, and the more irritated she became. He was just another adult, after all, and didn't they all stick together?

She crossed her arms, "I wished to stay in the palace in the city of Asgard and learn deportment and culture, they ways of palace life. I am a princess of the blood royal. But father forbade it. He wanted to keep me out in the country in that coarse, unrefined village. He said he needed me at home to help with the new baby." As she was speaking, Mister Stark had prepared himself a drink at the bar and was now sitting back, rolling the glass between his palms.

"You think yourself ill used, do you? Put upon?"

She didn't answer him, only stared at the drink in his hands, deliberately trying to avoid looking at her reflection in his dark lenses "I think it's better to feel needed. Would you rather be considered part of the furniture? Ignored?"

"No.." she sunk further into the seat.

"What if your father had let you do what you wanted? You would have though in turn that he didn't care. Would there be any pleasing you?" Mister Stark sat forward, "You kids have a lot to learn. Your parents aren't immune to making mistakes, nobody is, sometimes they do or say the wrong things. It's called being human. You might want to cut them some slack," She opened her mouth to ask him what that meant but he cut her off, "And you can figure out what that means on your own."

She frowned and turned her attention to the scenery outside the window, knowing that any rebuff would seem like an afterthought. They rode in silence until the limousine pulled up to the entrance and they got out. She followed Mister Stark, retracing the same path she'd taken last night. Through the front doors they went, past the security guard who nodded to Tony and gave her a curious look, scratching his head, down the central corridor to the elevators. Every few steps people would greet Tony by name, "Morning Mister Stark," "Have a good day, Mister Stark."

Once on the elevator he noticed her staring at him. "Questions?"

"I simply observed that you know many people here, do you frequent this place?"

"Thankfully no, I do get around though. It's called networking...and there's the little matter of a philanthropic donation and being on the board of directors here...but other than that...hey who doesn't know me?"

When the doors slid open, revealing a large reception area backed by a long nurses station, her heart began to race. As Mister Stark spoke with the receptionist at the desk, she stared at the wooden door leading into the unit interior, watching it swing open to admit them and soon they were walking down the long corridor past the rooms, Mister Stark chatting with the nurse who was walking with them. Finally they reached their destination and though she wanted desperately to be able to stop time like Chase could, she found her feet carrying her into the room behind Stark and the nurse.

Her mother was standing by the bassinet, talking to another nurse. She looked to be finishing changing the baby's nappy when she heard them enter the room and she turned around.

"Brenna!" She cried rushing over to her and catching her in a tight embrace. Brenna could feel her trembling. "My baby, my little girl! Oh how I have missed you." Eidra held her back at arms length and looked her over. "My goodness what are you wearing?"

Brenna giggled, "A dress mother, It is made of soft fabric. Do you not like it?"

"I am not sure yet, it is a bit short."

Brenna hugged her mother again, "Mama I missed you too."

She looked about the room, "Where is father?"

"He went to fetch something for the morning meal with Lily. He will be back soon."

Brenna cocked her head, "Who is Lily?"

Eidra wrapped her robe tighter around her as she nodded to Stark, "She is a S.H.I.E.L.D agent assigned to us. She was the one who garnered permission for you to come here to see the baby. Look,"

Eidra brought Brenna to the bassinet, "Early this morning, I was awakened by the machine that was helping Cait breathe. The night nurse came running in and said that she had started to breathe on her own. The physician was called and he determined that she had improved so they disconnected the machine. As they examined her further, they found her heart had healed itself as well."

Eidra glanced over at Brenna though the look went unnoticed as Brenna gazed down at the baby.

"So she will have no need of an operation?"

Eidra shook her head, reached into the bassinet and gently lifted Cait into her arms. "She may soon be well enough to go home."

"And that depends," The nurse interjected; she had approached the bassinet, "On whether or not she's able to feed on her own either by bottle or breast, and we like to see regular weight gain which means the baby is thriving. We've still been feeding her through the tube in her nose."

Brenna touched the small tube taped to her upper lip, "How does she eat through her nose?"

The nurse laughed, "The tube goes down her throat into her stomach. Quick and easy, no reflux." As if in reply, Cait let out a squeak.

"Mama! She sounds just like Fen did when he was born."

Eidra smiled, "I know."

"Oh Mama, she is so precious, so tiny." Tears sprang unbidden to her eyes as she offered her finger to Cait's small hand and she gripped it, tugging it reflexively towards her mouth.

She heard hushed talking behind her as Mister Stark chatted with the nurse who had escorted them to the room and she wished suddenly that they would leave the room so that she could be alone with her family.

"Sit down and you may hold her." Eidra tilted her head towards the rocking chair beside the bassinet.

"Mama, she's so little. I am afraid.." Brenna sat down slowly, unusure.

"Countless times you carried Fen for me when he was a baby and you were a young girl then, now you are a woman. You will do fine."

Eidra bent down and placed Cait in the crook of Brenna's arm and Brenna bent her nose to the fine down atop Cait's head, planting a kiss, smiling as Cait seemed to squirm away from it. "Just like your big brother, I used to give him big wet kisses just to torture him."

Eidra pushed a stray strand of hair away from Brenna's face and she closed her eyes, leaning into her mother's loving touch.

Cait squeaked again and the nurse looked at her watch, "I think she's getting hungry. I'll get the syringe, there's still some milk left in the bottle we were using earlier."

Brenna looked the baby over, "Her hair looks to be light like mine."

"We shall see. Fen started out that color and now his hair is black."

The nurse who had gone to fetch the syringe, returned, handing both the syringe and the bottle to Eidra. "Thank you Lacey."

"I think you can do this one on your own can't you?"

Eidra nodded, unscrewing the cap to the bottle and sticking the syringe in to suck up the last of the milk. "I shall have to express again afterwards."

Brenna became aware of voices coming down the hallway towards the room, growing louder as they neared. She recognized her father's distinct timbre as he walked into the room carrying two paper bags. He was followed by a blond woman to whom he had been talking. She was dressed in a gray suit, the jacket unbuttoned to a light blue shirt.

Brenna kept her gaze trained on the baby, watching him in her peripheral vision as he paused just inside the doorway, eyeing Mister Stark who pointed to him, "Hey, there's the man of the millenium. We've been waiting for you." Whereas her father turned away from him with an undisguised sneer.

"We were on a quest to find something palatable for the morning meal which in my opinion, is yet another weakness in this realm. You poison your people with food so far removed from the farm it is scarcely recognizable as such."

Tony shook his head as if to warn him off and he rolled his eyes as he sat the paper bags on a round table on the other side of the room. It was then that he caught sight of her, stood stock still for the fraction of a second then pulled out a chair at the table and sat down, looking slightly uncomfortable as he unbuttoned his shirt at the neck and began to roll up his sleeves.

"Oh by the way, the suit looks great on you..." Stark added, nodding to Lily, "Both of you, sorry didn't want to exclude you, agent."

"Confounded Midgardian attire. Must it be so irritating?" He grumbled, opening one of the bags.

"I'll speak to my tailor about it." Stark tapped the band on his wrist, "Got that Jarvis."

"Yes sir, I will notify Mister Andrews you wish to talk to him." Jarvis's voice filled the room and the nurses looked around. "Who was that?"

"Personal assistant." Stark held up his hand, "Nothing to be alarmed about."

She saw her father roll his eyes then look at Eidra who had been following the exchange.  
"Come, my heart, sit and eat." he looked into the bags, "If you dare."

Eidra traded looks with Loki, "I must feed the baby first then I shall eat." She lifted Cait from Brenna's arms and lay her in the bassinet to attach the syringe to the tube dangling at her cheek, turning then and giving Loki another pointed glance. He held her gaze for a moment, sighed then,

"Hello Brenna."

She had been replaying in her mind the last conversation they'd had that day at the school ever since he had walked into the room. Her throat felt tight and dry as she answered him, "Hello, father."

She now wished even harder for Mister Stark to vacate the room, to the point where she had to force herself not to ask him to excuse them when providence smiled on her.

Mister Stark pulled his cell phone from his pocket, "Hello?...Jamison...yeah I got a minute."

He put his hand over the mouthpiece, "Excuse me, important call. I'll be right back."

He retreated into the hallway and Brenna felt as if she was able to breath a little freer, at least until her father started to talk as he unwrapped a sandwich he'd taken from the bag.

"They are calling what happened to Cait a miracle."

"So it sounds." Brenna took a strand of her hair and started to twist it, her nerves fraying slightly at the tone in his voice.

"Did you have your morning meal today?"

"No father." Why was he drawing it out? Wait, because he always did. He always gave her enough rope to hang herself with. She frowned and looked over at her mother who was cooing at Cait as she pressed the syringe ever so slowly. She wanted to catch her eye, knowing her mother was deliberately staying out of the conversation for now.

"I have extra here, come sit and eat."

"I am not hungry, thank you." She tugged at the strand, smoothing it out.

"I did not make an offer, I made a request. Come and sit at the table."

He wanted to make her face him, she knew it. He had made her do so countless times. It was his way of intimidating her and she hated it, mostly because it inevitably worked.

She rose from the rocking chair, a laugh nearly escaping her as she wished now for Mister Stark to return to the room, hoping his presence would temper her father's lecture but providence had seen fit to sit back and watch the drama unfold, she'd done all she was going to do for Brenna today.

Brenna sat down at the table in a chair opposite him. Lily had taken her bag and retreated out into the corridor by then.

"I would not wish to subject you to this fare, I do hope they feed you better at the school."

"Yes sir, they do."

Eidra had picked the baby up again and was now holding her at her shoulder, rubbing her back as she sat in the rocking chair, listening to them.

"Stark says you are doing well, that the system by which they judge their academics shows you to be a bright student."

She allowed the ghost of a smile to form, "I try very hard, father."

She saw him nod out of the corner of her eye, she kept watching her mother as she hummed softly to Cait.

"And are you behaving?" He took a bite of the sandwich, set it down.

"I am."

"Very good...are you sure you will not eat?"

"Yes father."

He was quiet for a few minutes as he ate, by the time he'd finished half his sandwich, Eidra had lain Cait back in the bassinet to sleep and Brenna was nearly ready to run down the hall screaming in frustration.

Finally, he took a drink from the water bottle before him, "As I was saying, it was a miracle. One moment they were ready to operate on her in a desperate bid to save her life, the next it was as if the defect had never been there to begin with."

"Perhaps she comes from strong stock." Brenna muttered, knowing it was a weak response and her father latched on to it.

"How kind of you to say so, Bren." He stood up and walked to the bassinet, reached in and stroked Cait's head, she gave a hitching sigh in her sleep. "The physicians wished to perform tests on her to see exactly what had happened to her but I refused, albeit politely." He smiled at Eidra who had returned to the rocking chair.

"They were quite curious, in fact, to know if this miracle coincided with a disturbance here at the hospital last evening. It seems the security guard at the entrance and the night nurse at the desk reported seeing a group of teenagers enter the hospital and disappear before their very eyes."

Brenna bit her lip, suddenly terrified that she was going to start laughing. She tried hard to think of the least humorous things she could, pitching hay to the horses, hanging clothes out to dry, harvesting in the hottest part of the day but she felt herself closer to losing control than before.

She stole a look at him then, he seemed tired, a shadow of dark circles under his eyes accentuated by the pallor of his skin and all at once she felt sorry for him.

"Tell me Brenna, what do you think was my first reaction to such news?"

She clasped her hands together, "I confess I do not know."

"You confess," He turned to her, "You confess? Perhaps that is an astute choice of words."

She winced, cringed beneath his sudden scrutiny of her.

"What do you mean?" forced herself to look up at him as he stood before her.

He looked about the room, "Tell me, have you yet heard of a curious invention they call a video camera?"

Chase, Brian and Sophie all had them on their cell phones. She had been given a camera to use one day with a video option on it. She knew full well what they were, she considered playing stupid for all of a breath, then stuck out her chin defiantly. "Yes Father,"

"And do you know how.."

"I said yes Father," She interrupted him, supremely tired of being baited, "It was I, with two friends from school." She knew better than to mention anything about Chase's request to court her. Not here, not now.

"But I did nothing wrong, Father. I only wanted to help, I swear it!" She turned to Eidra, "Mama, I did not want them to operate on my sister when I knew there was no need, when I knew that I could help."

"But you disobeyed the rules of the school. You were not to go anywhere unchaperoned."

"I was with two other students.."

"Students, not adults." She could hear the anger in his voice, "You could have asked to be brought here."

"By then it would have been too late! They would have already performed the operation."

"Then so be it!" He was now starting to yell, "I would rather have you safe at the school, not taking a late night trip into a city known for its violence and cruelty!"

"Mama," Brenna jumped from her chair and ran to Eidra, grabbing her hands from her lap. "What did I do wrong? All I wished for was to help."

"Poppet, I know but think of the risk you undertook. Two moons does not make you immune to the dangers of this realm. You grow too sure of yourself." She swallowed hard, "Brenna, please come home with us, please?"

Brenna backed away from her, "No, Mama. I cannot. I have made friends here. I am doing well. Learning so much."

"Yes, you are learning how to lie, how to break the rules, and what a fine student you are in that respect."

She thought of the book she'd read, the one she wished she had been able to throw into the library fireplace, "I have learned such skills from you, then."

"Brenna!" Eidra cried, "Apologize to your father at once!"

She half expected him to reach out and shake her for emphasis, instead he looked down at his boots.

"I will not have her offer up empty regrets. There is little merit to a forced apology."

"No, Loki." Eidra grimaced, pushed herself up from the chair and strode to Brenna, "He has not lied to you, he has shielded you from painful truths. He has broken rules only to defend his family and atone past wrongs."

Brenna couldn't have spoken if she'd tried, her throat burned, her bottom lip was hopelessly aquiver. They were mad at her, they were actually angry that she had come to help Cait. She was stunned, hurt.

"If you would only ken, if you only knew..." Eidra murmured as she took Loki's hand in hers.

"All I know is that you are angry with me for helping my sister.."

"No, I did not say that, I said that you put yourself in too much danger in the process." Eidra reached out and stroked her cheek and she burst into tears. "Mama, all I wanted to do was help."

She heard someone clear their throat behind her and she wanted to stamp her feet, it was Stark.

"Uh, I hate to break up the family reunion but I have a schedule to keep which includes returning your daughter to school."

Brenna heard her father growl, low. "She will be along presently."

Stark bowed slightly, "Alright, two minutes and counting.." At Loki's glare, he threw up his hands, "Hey the world keeps spinning, can't stop time...at least I can't."

He turned heel and walked back out into the corridor where she heard him talking loudly to the blond agent and the nurse.

Before she could turn and speak again, she felt a hand on her shoulder and she tensed.

"You are still young, though you may think as an adult. I will set you down one day and tell you my story when I believe you are old enough." He took in Cait's sleeping form, "For Cait, I thank you. I only wish you had trusted me enough to let me know your secret long before this." his hand dropped from her shoulder and drifted Eidra's arm as he pulled her closer.

She sniffed, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, "I have to go. Mama?" She held out her arms and wrapped them about her shoulders, felt her kiss in her hair and she stepped back, nodding to her father, "Would you call me again before you leave for home?"

"Yes," He felt Eidra's hand at his back. "And please, no more incidents like this."

She couldn't bring herself to embrace him though she wanted to, instead she simply whirled about and raced into the corridor, nearly colliding with Mister Stark as he'd been about to head back into the room.

"You're ready then?"

Brenna turned once more to look into the room where her father had put his hands to his eyes, her mother standing before him, hands on his shoulders talking quietly to him. She started down the corridor as quickly as her feet would take her until even Stark had to trot to keep up with her.

All the way back to the school, she sat curled up in a ball while Mister Stark made phone calls after trying futilely to engage her in conversation. Once back at the school where they met Miss Munro in the foyer, she asked to be excused to her room with a promise to come to Miss Munro's office before the evening meal.

Once inside, she locked her door and crawled into her bed, covering herself completely with her blanket, shutting out the light, the sound of the world outside to wet her pillow with lonely, frustrated, heartbroken tears.


	29. Chapter 29

When she arrived at the dining hall after her meeting with Miss Munro, she looked for Chase and Brian, finally finding them in a corner table, talking. She sat down beside Chase and put her head down on the table.

"You get the same lecture?" She felt his arm slip around her shoulders and squeeze.

"Did it sound anything like "this kind of behavior will not be tolerated, I expect you to follow the rules here?"

"More or less."

She nodded against the hard wood raised her head and looked over at Brian who had continued to eat.

"Please do not be mad at me."

He glared at her, eyes narrowed, "My dad grounded me from Baby Girl for a month, a goddamn month! Now I wanna go somewhere, I gotta bum a ride offa someone."

"I did not know we would be caught! I thought we could get in and out undetected."

Brian snorted, "Yeah, I guess we need to get a bit better at the whole covert ops shit before we pull a stunt like that again."

She shook her head, "There will be no more stunts, rest assured."

She stood back up and Chase rose with her, "Are you gonna get something to eat? Let me get it, sit down."

"No," She held up a hand, "I have lost my appetite. I am going back to my room."

"You want me to come with you?" Chase bent to grab his tray.

"No, I want to be alone."

Chase stared at her as she wove through the students at the tables and out of the great hall.

"Damn, maybe that trip was a bad idea."

Brian sat back in his chair, "Ya think?"

When Chase knocked on her door some time later, she had curled up in her easy chair beneath a blanket.

He knelt down in front of her with a tray. "I brought you one of those fruit cups you like, and a bowl of chicken fingers. I hated to think of you up here hungry and alone."

She chuckled, recalling the first time she had heard the words chicken and fingers together and she had laughed so hard she'd had tears in her eyes. She stuck her hand from beneath the blanket and stroked his face. "You always take care of me."

He set the tray aside, took her face in his hand and began to kiss her, soft, slow until her arms came from beneath the blanket and wrapped around his chest.

"I thought everyone was going to be mad with me." She put her forehead down onto his shoulder as he rubbed her back.

"Sophie's kinda miffed that you didn't include her but then I told her we'd been caught so she felt better...not that we'd been caught, but that she hadn't gone...Brian will get over it, he's not so much mad at you as he is that he couldn't pull it off like a boss you know?"

She sighed, "It would seem none of us could."

Chase pushed her back to look into her eyes, "No way, did your parents know what you did?"

"Yes, not only did they have those video cameras in the hospital..."

"Well that I figured but I didn't think they would put two and two together...now Miss Munro's statements make more sense.."

"But I told you my brother let slip about my abilities and my father knew at once my little sister's recovery was no mere miracle."

"Were they happy with what you did?"

"They were happy that I had helped her, I suppose. They were not, however, thrilled with the means to the end."

"Well you got it half right then."

She sat back in the chair and drew her fingers through her hair, "Did I?"

"She's so tiny, like a wee doll." Sally stroked Cait's cheek with a finger and sighed. Cait turned her head towards the caress, mouth open.

"She looks hungry." Helgi said, looking to Eidra.

"Is it that time already? Goodness it seems she ate but a short time ago." Sally lifted Cait gingerly from Helgi's lap as Eidra took her seat in the rocking chair before the fire. Sally placed Cait in her arms.

"She is always hungry. It is as if she is trying to make up for arriving early."

Eidra unlaced the bodice of her dress, clucking her tongue at the wet cloth clinging there which she peeled away and draped over the arm of the chair. Her milk had come in with a vengeance once Cait had started to nurse on her own. She would begin to flow at the merest whimper. She undud the bodice of her dress with one hand, cradling the baby in her lap then moving her into position. The moment her nipple brushed those tiny lips, Cait was rooting for all she was worth, like a tiny baby bird, mouth wide until she found latch with a shuddering sigh and settled down to nurse.

Ren peered down at her, caressing the tiny fist Cait had pressed to her cheek "She looks just like Brenna."

Helgi nodded, "Right down to the mass of hair. Brenna had such beautiful fine locks, still does."

After nearly a week and a half, the pediatrician had deemed Cait well enough to go home. When she had finally latched on for the first time, Eidra had cried with joy. Cait had been steadily gaining weight. The day they had been discharged from the hospital, Cait had been weighed. She had put on two pounds, now at a healthy five pounds ten ounces. She was alert, her eyes bright, vocal chords most definitely well developed.

After Brenna's visit, Loki had lapsed into a quiet depression save for the times he would hold Cait, talk to her, kiss her forehead. He more often preferred to sit at the window looking out at the city entrapped within his own thoughts and Eidra knew she had to do all she could to facilitate their return to Asgard. He needed to go home almost as much as she did.

True, she had made fast friends with the nurses and Lily's presence during the day helped greatly. She had even taught Lily to knit between times when she would have to express milk for the baby and when the baby would sleep. She had begged Lily one day to find her a pair of knitting needles and a skein of yarn before she went mad with boredom. Lily had done her one better. She had in turn brought sets of needles and introduced Eidra to a wide variety of yarn she had bought at a local yarn shop.

Eidra had to admit she'd become much enamored of the rainbow of bright colors and textures each skein provided. Lily had been happy to feed her addiction, going so far as to buy her some pattern books which she shyly informed her that she could not read seeing as they were in english. Lily brought her some paper and took the time to read the patterns aloud so that Eidra could write them out.

Lily had remarked that of all the assignments she'd had in recent memory, this had been the most enjoyable one. Even Loki had fallen into a guarded acquaintanceship with Lily. The three of them would often talk, comparing Midgard and Asgard. He would even tell stories and legends he'd been told as a boy at Odin's knee. So comfortable had the routine become in fact, that apart from the nurses who'd been dedicated to Cait's recovery, saying goodbye to Lily had been particularly difficult, tearful.

Loki had stood apart while Eidra had hugged Lily, thanking her over and over for everything she'd done. In the end, he had shaken her hand, repeating his thanks for her help and his promise again to repay her one day for it.

One of the nurses had donated an old suitcase to Eidra for the return home. Loki had shaken his head at the skeins of yarn interspersed with the onesies, blankets, bottles and nappies but Lily and Eidra had exchanged knowing smiles.

Still with all the convenience of Midgard, it had never felt quite like home. It had been foreign, sterile, impossible to manage without an interpreter to read for her. Though she'd been mildly intrigued at the prospect of exploration, she had been delighted to return home to the family. Fen had clung to her for an entire day. Being the limit he was able to sit still for at his age, his attention had thusly been drawn to the new baby. Aside from the fact, in his opinion, that she was only a girl, he'd hovered around her until Eidra had begged Loki to take him outside to amuse him. Chris had shooed Fen out the door, following him, albeit slowly. Eidra was thrilled to see that he was now getting along on his own with the aid of a crutch only, that the strength had also returned to his arm

Loki leaned over and bussed her cheek, lingering a moment. Eidra breathed in the scent of woodsmoke and leather and perspiration; she declared she would never smelled anything better and she raised her hand to his chin, keeping him there a merest second longer until he was following Chris out the door. His melancholy had only increased, the more time they'd spent in Midgard but now at home, he'd seemed to brighten, the color return to his face as he saw how much improved Chris was.

"Did you see Brenna?" Helgi ventured as they sat around the fire talking, watching the new baby.

Eidra nodded, relating the details of the visit to much clucking of tongues and gasps of shock.

"Such insolence, you did not bring her up to be so rude. It is that realm, it has changed her." Helgi cried, so upset she'd dropped her knitting in her lap.

"I do not know whether it is the realm or perhaps the age that has brought this change. Do not any of you recall your youth? How impetuous, rash you were? How little you paid heed to warnings, advice? Helgi, would I listen to you? Did I not suffer for it?"

Helgi had picked up her knitting again, "Do not make excuses, child. She is growing up, she has had time to learn right and wrong."

Eidra looked down at Cait who had started to nod off though each time she would start to withdraw the nipple, her little jaws would start moving again. "She is my daughter, my bright star. I cannot help my weakness."

She felt Helgi's hand on her knee, "It is not weakness, poppet."

Sally shook her head, "Sure and it's purely out of love that we concede to the irrational wishes, insensible ideas of a young mind."

"I asked her to come home but she refused. I spoke with her before we left Midgard and it like to have broken my heart. She cried, said she missed me, told me to tell Loki that she was sorry for her actions but in the end she still refused to return with us." Her bottom lip trembled and she bit it until she could speak again. "I have implored Loki to consider visiting her during Jul. That way I may see the place where she is staying and know she is safe and happy though the man Loki calls Fury has said we must travel through the Bifrost if we are to return and with the King in attendance as well."

Fury, having learned how they had arrived on Midgard undetected at first, had acquiesced to the gravity of the situation in which Loki had used the Uruz. He had asked for it then, Loki had explained to him that it belonged ultimately to his wife and essentially to the Alfari people and he had no more right to surrender it than Fury had to demand it. Fury had then informed him that he was to travel only with Thor and by the Bifrost which could be detected and traced to the point of arrival by S.H.I.E.L.D equipment. Any other visitations without such provisos would be considered a hostile act on his part.

"Is it really as frightening as you described it?" Helgi paused, "Midgard?"

"It would make no sense to you whatsoever, Helgi. They call our ways primitive. They have horseless wagons, large carts that fly over the city, boxes which show moving pictures in them, strange music, lights run by something called electricity., small squares they call cell phones to talk to people over a great distance..had I not been so worried about Cait, had I not needed their help, I would have run screaming back to Asgard."

"It sounds like dark magic." Helgi shivered. "Thank the gods you are home safe again."

"I'm running out of grapeshot, my boy." Chris sat on the stump by the forge, now cold, as Loki picked some finished horse shoes from the nail stuck in the post of the shelter wall. He waved his crutch at the forge, "I shall either have to beg some iron from Vedic or give in and let you teach me how to shoot one of those accursed crossbows."

Loki handed the horseshoes to Fen to carry while he grabbed a bag of nails and his sack of tools. "I would go so far as to say that your accuracy may be much improved by a weapon that shoots straight."

He smiled as Chris snorted, "Fie upon you, 'tis no secret that you've always professed to hate my trusty musket, the founder of many a feast. I will learn the crossbow when you attempt to shoot my firearm, or when I run out of shot as aforementioned."

"Papa, might I learn to shoot the crossbow?" Fen hefted the horseshoes to his chest as they walked towards the stable.

"You would do well with a drawstring bow. I will go to the village and see if there is one to be had for you. Hunting season is fast approaching. Mabon is upon us. I have lost precious time with the harvest because we were away and now I must hurry to catch up. You will hunt with us this year, my son."

He reached down and ruffled Fen's dark hair, "But for now we have much to do."

"He was good as gold in your absence. Every morning, he would get up with us and help with chores. He'd milk, help to pitch hay with his hands for he could not toss it with a fork. He'd do the ladies bidding."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, Papa. I wanted you to be happy when you came home."

A sad look crossed over Loki's face that Chris did not miss and he reached over and patted his arm. "My son, you cannot upbraid yourself so." His gaze shifted to Fen then back to Loki, "But we will talk of such affairs later."

Loki grunted his assent, "Indeed."

They walked into the stable where Blackberry and Lightning swung their heads around to regard Loki. "It has been a while, hasn't it? Forgive me." He patted Blackberry's nose. "You know I've been pondering mating the two of them. What say you?"

Chris sat on a low stool with a groan, "Another work horse says you, another mouth to feed says I."

Loki rubbed Blackberry's neck, "On the contrary. By the time the horse was gentled and trained, it would be ready for Cait."

"Ooo, thinking ahead are we?" He looked over the two horses, pointed with his crutch, "Ah but how do you know of their intentions. Wilt thou let them have their courtship first or must it be straightaway to the bedchamber?"

Loki laughed, a hearty sound that made him laugh harder, "My good friend, I must admit to missing you a great deal more than is likely proper for any man. It does my heart good to see you so well attended now."

Chris flushed pink, kicked the dirt about with the toe of his boot. "I had reason to be. I must needs tell you that I wish to be a burden no longer to you here. I believe I am well enough to return to my cottage. Do you not agree?"

Loki had entered Blackberry's stall to lead her out into the open, he heard Fen whine then, "Uncle Chris, I do not want you to leave. Please stay."

Loki glanced to Chris, seeing Fen draped over his leg, hugging his portly belly. "Now my boy, we rely too much on the good graces of your parents."

"Nonsense," Loki called to him as he raised Blackberry's left foreleg to clamp it between his knees, "Boy, fetch me my tool bag, damn my memory."

Fen dragged the heavy satchel to Loki and stood well back as he had always been instructed.

"As I was saying, nonsense, you are no burden to us. Your company is most welcome."

"And a drain upon your stores." Chris patted his belly, "Do you not deny that I can eat Blackberry's weight in venison, potatoes and pork in all of a week's time?"

"And that is why we will go hunting before too long."

He snipped the old nails securing the worn horseshoe to Blackberry's hoof and she fidgeted at the sensation, her skin rippling. She reached her head around to nip at Loki and Chris yelled out, "Boy, watch 'er, she has designs upon your backside."

Loki reached behind him and pushed her head back, "Blackberry, behave!" receiving an indignant whinny from her as she shook her head.

"Now, hear me out. If you insist on returning to the cottage which is your right, at least stay until spring. Winter is by far the hardest time of the year and I would sleep better knowing you were safe under my roof than struggling in the snow at your own farm. Your animals are all here." He gestured to the bay Daisy who was scratching her massive head against the post in her stall on the other side of the stable, right beside Olive who watched Loki apprehensively as he continued to change the shoe. "Your cottage is sealed up well, waiting for you. Perhaps you will need no crutch by then. Do not speed your recovery lest you relapse. Will you stay?" He tossed the old shoe onto the ground and dug out the clippers to trim the edge of the hoof.

Chris leaned onto the armrest of the crutch, "There is wisdom in what you say, my boy but what of Brenna? Did you see her while on Midgard?"

Loki clenched his jaw, "I did."

"Well what if she comes back, I say again, would you have her sleep on a pallet before the fire?"

"There will be no danger of such a thing, she does not wish to come home."

"Not even with a new baby to attend to? Preposterous." Chris saw the pain reflected in Loki's countenance and his tone softened, "I'm sorry, my son. Would you like to talk of it?"

Loki shook his head, gave a nod toward Fen, "Later?"

Chris put a hand to his forehead, "Damn my memory."

Loki waved the file at him, "And that there, forgetfulness, someone has to save you from yourself."

"Speaking of forgetfulness, I neglected to tell you the evening last when you returned that you'd a visitor while away."

Loki had moved around to Blackberry's right foreleg and he peered beneath her belly, "Oh?" He took the clippers Fen held in his outstretched hand.

"Yea, 'twas your brother, the king. He wished for you to accompany him this week hence to gather the tributes of wine and mead for Mabon. I had not the temerity to lie to him. I told him you'd gone to Earth...Midgard...blast it...explained to him that Eidra had been in distress."

"And what was his answer?" Loki pried the old shoe loose.

"He said he would return soon to check upon us." Fen piped up, "He said he might ask if I could accompany you as well, may I, Papa?"

"I never said I was going. What else did he say?"

Chris hauled himself up from the stool and limped around the front of Blackberry to stand beside Loki, "He was incensed that you'd traveled without him and with that little medallion. He believes he has to keep track of you."

"He always has." Loki straightened up and stretched before moving to Blackberry's right hind leg, moving his hand down her flank, her leg to her hoof so as not to startle her. When Fen trotted right around to stand before him with the bag of tools, Loki reached for his arm and guided him around to his side to stand with Chris. "Boy, where were you just now?"

"In front of you, Papa." Fen tilted his head.

"Where have I told you never to stand?"

Fen's mouth hung open and he looked around the barn in apparent search for the answer until Loki sighed, "Behind the horse because you never know when they will kick?"

"Oh yes! Sorry Papa."

Chris patted his head. "Yes my boy, let us not learn everything the hard way if we can help it."

Loki smiled, "Indeed. There is enough of that already."

Eidra had settled the baby in her cradle a moment before Loki, Fen and Chris returned from the stable. Sally and Helgi were preparing the evening meal. He nodded to them and walked into the bedchamber where Eidra stood gazing down at Cait. He slid his hand into hers, "She is perfect, is she not?"

Eidra nodded, squeezed his hand, "Come let her sleep. She has just finished nursing." She led him out into the common room where Chris had settled himself at the table with Fen who came running to Loki, "Papa look at the two new animals Uncle Chris has carved for me."

He handed Loki a wooden duck with finely detailed feathers and a dog sitting with its tail around its legs.

"It is a duck and a wolf, Papa."

"Ah a wolf, my mistake."

Fen giggled, "What did you think it was, Papa?"

"A dog.." He sat at the table beside Chris who was looking over his past work. Fen climbed up on Loki's lap, "Uncle Chris, is a wolf a dog too?"

"I suppose it is a sort of dog, they are of the Canis Lupus family."

"The what?" Fen studied the carving.

"Ah yes, Latin, my boy...Canis meaning dog, Lupus meaning wolf. So I would say that you are both right, dog-wolf."

Eidra had watched the exchange between them as she set the table and as she passed Loki, she leaned down and kissed him, holding the contact long enough to feel that warmth spreading inward to her core and she sighed as she broke the kiss, looking into his eyes, seeing the same unspoken thoughts in his smile.

"Put your animals in the box, Fen. It is time to eat." Loki handed the carvings to him, turning to see Eidra peering into the darkness of the bedchamber. "Eidra, is everything alright?"

"Yes, I was just listening for her." She walked to the table and sat beside Loki as they began to pass the plate of roasted chicken and the bowls of boiled potatoes and parsnips about. "I worry incessantly."

Loki handed her the plate of chicken and she smiled, thinking back on the artificial food she'd had to endure on Midgard. "She is fine, it is you I worry about. Now eat, the newest princess will soon demand her next feeding.

Not long after dinner, Fen had been sent to bed having begun to nod off in Eidra's lap as they sat talking quietly around the table, but before long, Eidra was heading in the same direction as her head drooped to her chest.

"Eidra," Loki shook her gently, "Go to bed, I will be in soon."

She nodded, rose, taking a small lantern from the table and shuffled into the bedchamber where she knelt to the cradle and gently stroked Cait's tummy, feeling her little heart beating beneath her hand. Assured she was well, Eidra set the lantern on the small stand beside the bed and donned her gown, slipping beneath the coverlet, shivering. The nights were swiftly becoming cold again. Autumn was here. She lay staring into the lamplight, listening to Cait's little movements as she shifted about in the cradle, her breathy sighs...

….and nearly sat bold upright as she heard a little squeak issue from the darkness. She looked about the room, barely lit by the half moon streaming through the window. She felt Loki's weight beside her, his breathing even but not deep. She leaned over to the stand, grabbed the flint and opened the lantern door, striking a flame. Then she tiptoed across the floor and lifted Cait from the cradle. "Oh you are wet, let us fetch a nappy for you."

She rooted around in the suitcase Loki had set beside the wardrobe when they had come home, pushing aside the yarns and the onesies until she found the linen nappies as the bottom. When she had readied to return to Asgard, the nurses had asked her if she would use disposable nappies and she had laughed that linen would do just fine. She laid one out on the bed and lay Cait upon it, loudly protesting as she was divested of her warm blanket and baby gown. Loki rolled over on his side to watch Eidra as she deflty pinned the new nappy on and wrapped Cait in fresh blankets, slipping into bed and laying her between her knees while she lifted her breasts free of her gown. She positioned Cait in her lap, guided her to the nipple and leaned back against the headboard as she began to nurse.

Loki raised himself on his elbow, leaning into her side. He reached over and stroked the back of his fingers gently down the swell of her breast again and again. She felt the tingle as her milk began to let down and she relaxed, tilting her head to the side to kiss the top of his head.

He looked up at her in the lamplight, "Do you know how truly lovely you are at this moment, nursing our baby, the mountains I would move, the oceans I would cross for you, for our family?"

She smiled, "You have already done so much for me, for us. I cried to see you so sad, so melancholy, I wish only to make you happy again."

He inched upward, his lips at the shell of her ear, "You have, you always shall." He kissed the curve of her neck, "Eidra, I ache for you."

She could feel his hand a fist on her thigh, could only imagine the control he was having to call upon. She too was ready to reach for him, guide him inside her.

"As do I for you, my prince but the physician on Midgard said we must refrain from intimate relations until I am healed in the very least."

He kissed her shoulder, his hair tickling the skin there and she closed her eyes, "Besides, what if I were to become pregnant again?"

She felt him smile. "So be it."

"Loki," she gasped, "You are incorrigible."

The baby sighed aloud and Eidra noted she had fallen off to sleep again. She bundled her well and placed her back in her cradle, returning to cuddle against Loki, nestling her head in the crook of his elbow, while her hand found him and he groaned as she chuckled, " 'Tis the least I can do for you."

He bucked up into her hand, " Nay, 'tis the best you can do for me."

It wasn't long before he was burying his cries in the hollow of her throat as he curled around her, spilling into her hand, onto her stomach, his words lost, all he could do was moan her name over and over, his arms wrapped about her waist, breath heavy in her ear.

Later as she lay listening to the stillness of the cottage, her arm draped over his stomach as he slept, she thought to herself, yes she would eventually give him another child. She was still young and one of her greatest joys was her children, his children. That thought led to Brenna. Eidra hugged Loki tighter to her, trying to untangle the riddle that was the relationship between Brenna and her father. How would she ever make Brenna see how very much her father loved her, harder still, to make her realize how much she loved him in turn.


	30. Chapter 30

He stared at the phone in his hand a moment longer and set it down on the polished mahogany desk, leaning back in his chair and staring out the tall arched windows down the sloping lawn to the pond where Smith was currently worrying the geese. He sighed loudly, rose from the leather chair and walked to the windows, throwing them open and stepping onto the veranda. "Smith! You idiot, leave those damnable birds alone!"

He leaned over, his hands on the marble rail as the chocolate lab came running towards the house, tongue streaming to the side of his mouth. He bounded up the veranda steps and plunked himself down on his haunches, waiting for his master's next order while the geese settled back down at the pond's edge flapping their wings and honking indignantly. "Stupid dog. How many times have I told Gerald not to let you out into the western lawn?" The dog blinked up at him then lay down and started to pant, effecting a blissful ignorant smile. He shook his head and opened the window again, "Go on, get inside." he waved his hand, and Smith trotted into his office. "Not in the chair!"

He shooed Smith out of his leather chair and sat back down at his desk, about to pick up his phone and make a call when the intercom keyed up. "Doctor Wells? You said you needed the car ready for two-thirty?"

He pressed the return button on the little gray intercom, "Yes Miss Pelham. Tell Harry I'll be down in a few minutes, thank you."

He picked up his cell and looked at it again. Chase hadn't been in trouble in quite some time. Now this mysterious girl had made him break at least three separate school rules. He couldn't very well ground him from a car because he had refused to give him one while he was there. He knew what seventeen year old's did with their spare time, he wasn't so far removed as to have forgotten his own youth. He considered taking his cell phone but then Annie would pitch a fit. Not that she ever called her son but if the means were taken away to do so when she got that rare motherly urge, there'd be hell to pay and he was already paying hell enough to her.

Maybe, just maybe if he hadn't been so young when he met her, he would be in an entirely different place right now and in retrospect, so would Chase. He certainly wouldn't be another state away in that school for mutants. He could recall their first encounter with perfect clarity.

He had been in his second year of medical school in New York City, a lonely outsider because of his age. A prodigy, having graduated high school at the early age of thirteen, he was, at fifteen, working towards a career as a doctor of psychiatry. He had, half-jokingly once quipped that were he able to obtain such a degree, he would then be able to diagnose his whole family.

He had gone on a school excursion with the college that winter. They had taken a bus to Lake Placid, in Upstate New York, staying in one of the hotels in the Olympic village. One evening, when the moon cast its full beauty across Mirror Lake, he had gone out for a walk. It hadn't been particularly cold out and he had found his way onto the ice, intending only to see the village lit up from the ice. He had, however, come too close to one of the docks that jutted into the lake and the soft ice gave way beneath him, dropping him into the icy depths like a stone. His jacket began at once to drag him down as it started to become waterlogged and he had only surfaced once before he slipped beneath the surface, water looking for and finding access through his nose, his mouth as he let out a soundless scream. His eyes locked onto the lights of the dock only feet distant from him, his arms flailing weakly in a futile effort to reach the wooden ladder silhouetted in the murk, never seeing the light blot out as a figure stepped onto the dock.

His vision had started to darken, his movements to slow when he felt as if hands had grabbed his heavy coat and there was a brief sensation of rising through the water , but higher, much higher than the surface of the lake until he was hovering over the dock. His last sight before he had lost consciousness was of a young girl dressed in a white parka, her brunette hair pulled back in a pony tail, hand outstretched, face in a grimace of effort.

When he had awakened on the dock, wet, shivering, vomiting lake water, Annie had been kneeling over him, turning him on his side, yelling for help to someone he couldn't see.

In his opinion, it had been the beginning of the end though he couldn't know it at the time. A beautiful girl had saved his life and it had all seemed so romantic, like a scene straight out of a movie. He didn't care about the fact that she was a mutant, at least not then. There had been those arguments however when he regretted it.

He took his great coat from the coat rack beside his office door and threw it over his arm, grabbed the briefcase on the floor. After he locked the door behind him, punching in the security code on a small pad on the wall, he headed through the library, stopping to choose one of his favorite books, a small leather bound copy of "Prometheus Unbound." from the shelves lining the walls. It was going to be a long flight. He slipped it into an inner pocket of his great coat and proceeded into the hall, passing painted portraits of his ancestors in receding succession.

At the beginning of the hall, he stared up at a large portrait of himself that he'd had painted a few years back. The portraits aged as he continued down the hall, his father, his grandfather, great-grandfather, great-great grandfather, great-great grandmother come over from England in sixteen-forty five, the daughter of a wealthy merchant. When Chase graduated from college, he planned to have his portrait done as well, provided he made the right career choices.

Maybe he wouldn't exactly follow in his father's footsteps, per se. Not everyone could hope to become the director of one of New York's largest psychiatric institutions. It was certainly not a job for the weak willed teenagers of today. He walked into the foyer where Miss Pelham, a beautiful, curvy brunette stood with a folder ready to hand him.  
"Did you print my speech?" He took the folder from her and opened it.

"Yes, sir. Two copies like you asked, bold phrases underlined. Your flight leaves in an hour and a half. Weather delay."

"Should have brought two books." He muttered. "Very well, Gina. I will see you when I return." He eyed the butler, standing at the front door, prepared to open it and he could only wink at Gina who flushed pink and smiled.

Harry was waiting with the limousine at the bottom of the steps. As he saw David Wells emerge, he opened the back door. "Good morning, sir."

David nodded, "That remains to be seen. It could have started out better."

Harry made sure his boss was securely inside, "Well there's always hope." and shut the door.

David sat forward, opened the boor to the small refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of lager. Maybe it wasn't as sophisticated as a martini but it was what he needed right now. His cell phone began to ring just as he was settling back in the seat. He took it from his suit pocket and looked at the caller I.d. It was Annie. He let the call go to voicemail. Yessiree, he needed that beer.

Brenna found Chase sitting on one of the couches in the library, his arm across his eyes, cell phone on the cushion beside him. She sat down and he grimaced, "Just got done talking to my dad. No let me rephrase that. Just got done getting lined out."

"What did he say?"

Chase sat straight up, "He said that women were trouble and that I had better focus on my studies instead." He'd said a sight more too but since that was the gist of the whole conversation, she didn't need to know how base his father could be.

She leaned over, her head on his shoulder, "And will you obey him or shirk convention?"

"What do you think?" Chase put his arm around her.

She gave a sad smile. "Good, because I would not be able to do this without you."

She fingered the birthstone pendant Chase had given her for her birthday as he shook his head, "You're stronger than you give yourself credit for. Don't short yourself."

"I wish I could see myself as you do."

"I wish you could too."

As September turned to October and cold weather, there were new activities that Brenna was being introduced to. There was the sport called football which she enjoyed for the ferocity of its play. She would sit with the boys and a few of the girls in the rec room watching the games on the big screen, asking about what was happening until she could understand the action reasonably well. She was also on the cusp of her first school dance.

The homecoming dance would be in one week. Sophie had volunteered her for the decorating committee and after expressing shock, she had gamely accepted the appointment, thinking it was quite gracious of her to think Brenna had anything to offer in the first place. Plus it was a chance to take her mind away from the incident at the hospital and her new sister and little brother which she had been thinking about as of late.

She knew it was an entirely outrageous notion but all she could think of, what with the new baby to grab his attention, was that he would forget about her altogether, it was silly but it was true. She also had to admit to a bit of jealousy. She recalled standing at her mother's chair while she nursed Fen wondering if her mother had done the same for her, years later realizing that she couldn't have because she had not been there. These were the times when she would need to clear her mind and focusing on a task was just what she needed.

Thus she found herself on a cool fall Sunday afternoon kneeling on the floor in one of the art rooms painting in the letters on a large banner that read "Homecoming 2017"

Sophie, Dylan and Chase were at a table beside her, making posters to hang in the hallways.

Sophie, glanced at the banner, "Looking good, Bren."

Brenna smiled, "Thanks, I do enjoy painting, I must say. It's relaxing."

Sophie raised an eyebrow, "Bren did I hear a contraction?"

Brenna blushed and smiled at her, "Oh hush, what do you expect?"

She had started to adopt the dialect of the students about her. She knew that if her father heard her, he would take her to task on it. He would say that she sounded base, like a peasant, that she must speak properly. She would have to remember to pay attention the next time she saw him.

"So Brenna," Dylan piped up, "What kind of sports do they play where you come from?"

Brenna dipped her brush in the water and swished it around to remove the green paint from it, moving on to the pot of red acrylic, "We wrestle, race on foot and horseback, we swim, we spar with swords. We also have archery contests and we hunt, but it's not a sport," She paused to think, "Oh and we also play knattleikr. The nearest I can come to an example of it is your field hockey."

"Swords? You mean fencing right? Like Professor Wagner?"

She caught Chase's eye and he nodded.

"Yes, like that." She started with the red paint on the letter C.

"You make it sound like a renaissance fair. Archery, fencing. I'd rather learn those sports instead of tennis and golf, damn."

She was silent, trying to determine whether Dylan was teasing her when he changed tack.

"I'm gonna assume that you're going with Brenna to the dance, right?" He prodded Chase.

"Yeah, that was the plan."

Brenna looked up at him.

"What?"

She shrugged, "I was not aware that we must go as couples."

"Well yeah. I mean people go stag all the time...alone...but don't you want to go with me?"

"Chase." She frowned.

"Hey, I'm just asking."

"Well of course I do, though I still have to find something to wear. I asked Nala to help me because she said the school has dresses that have been given to them for students to use."

Sophie pantomimed sticking her finger down her throat, "Gross, have you seen them yet? They're out of date, garish, frilly crap. I have dresses to spare, you didn't say you needed one."

"I truly did not think of it. I meant no slight." Brenna sat back on her heels.

"Well after we're done here, let's go to my room and we'll find you a few to try on."

Chase elbowed Sophie, grinning, "Can I come with you to give my approval?"

She swatted at him, "No you cannot, you dog. All you want is to see a peep show."

Dylan laughed and gave him a high five, "Truth, brother!"

Sophie scootched down the table, "Pigs."

"Sophie," Chase tossed a marker at her which she tossed back, "Are you going with Dylan?"

"Well duh?" Sophie took one of her own markers and tossed it at Dylan. "He asked me months ago."

Dylan nodded assent, "What about Brian, he going stag?"

"I think so, poor guy, he's everyone's buddy, no one's honey."

Brenna had moved to the next letter and the next color, yellow. "We must find him a date then. He is his own worst enemy I swear...he terrified me when I first met him. He thinks he must make people laugh for them to like him."

"But that's his angle," Chase put another finished poster on the pile, "Women love men who make them laugh."

"But he must learn to know when to be serious." Brenna swirled her brush in the gray water and squeezed out the excess with a paper towel. "What about Rachel?" She thought back to the girl he'd been making eyes at since she'd started at the school, the girl with the dark hair and green eyes. Every time he got near her, he'd turn into a jester.

"Serious is overrated." Chase glanced down at her, "The world is serious enough, don't you think?"

Brenna sat back on her heels again, "From what I have seen in my time here, this world is far from serious about all the wrong things and deadly serious about the most trivial of matters."

"And where you come from it's all perfect right? Nothing ever goes wrong?"

Sophie and Dylan exchanged looks at each other then at Chase and Brenna.

"I did not say that. I only mean that here, you seem to lose sight of the big picture, you worry incessantly about how you look to the point of mutilating yourself to attain a stranger's idea of perfection. You concern yourself with popularity, money.."

Chase put his marker down, "Hey you just try to get anywhere without it!"

Brenna stood with the jar of dirty water and walked to the sink. "But to the exclusion of all else?" She stopped, her hands on the edge of the basin, stainless steel cold beneath her hands. "I have a headache, excuse me."

Without another word, she walked out of the art room and headed down the hall.

"Wow," Dylan stared after her, "That was quite the burn."

Chase picked up his marker, set it down again, picked it back up and slammed it on the table, then started to stand up but Sophie was already heading for the door. "Will you guys let me talk to her. She's not herself. Pick up the paints on the floor for me and carefully put the banner on the long table to dry."

Sophie found Brenna in the rec room sitting cross-legged before the fireplace, staring into the flames. She sat in an overstuffed chair beside her and nudged her with her toe receiving a sigh for her effort. "Headache, still?"

"I am homesick." She'd said it, the words a long time coming.

Sophie sat forward, "We all get homesick once in a while. You aren't thinking of going home are you?"

Brenna wrapped her arms around herself, "Even if I wanted to, it would be impossible. My father has seen to that." She had seen the Uruz around his neck that day at the hospital. It was highly likely she would never get the chance to touch it again.

"But wouldn't he come and get you if you asked him?"

"That is just it. It's not like I can call him, there are no phones where I live."

"What about your neighbors?"

Brenna's frown deepened, "Anywhere, no phones, no televisions, no cars, no computers, nothing."

"Sorry, I forget that. Well what can we do to help you feel more at home?" She reached over and rubbed Brenna's shoulder.

"There is little you can do. It will pass. It usually does."

Brenna rose from the floor and Sophie joined her, "Do you want to come to my room and try on dresses?"

Brenna shook her head, "Not tonight, I think I just want to lie down and read. I have a current events paper to write. Tomorrow perhaps."

"Sure," Sophie hugged her impulsively, "We can put up the posters after supper and then we'll go to my room. You sure you're not coming down with something? Is it that time of month?"

Brenna thought about it, "I simply miss home." she sighed, "I shall talk to you tomorrow."

Sophie nodded, "Alright then. Tomorrow it is."

Sophie caught Chase as he headed down the hallway towards the rec room. "If you're looking for Bren, she went to her room. She's not feeling good, she told me to tell you."

He threw his hands in the air, "I wanted to apologize to her for getting so snappy."

She put her hand at his back, "Let her cool down for the night, she said she's feeling homesick."

"How ironic," He grumbled as he let himself be led away from the rec room, "I'm sick of home."

"Oh?"

Chase stuffed his hands in his pockets, "Yeah, my dad called me today and lined me out for taking off with Brian and Brenna."

Sophie chewed her lip, "Well you did break the rules."

"Yeah I know but couldn't he just have let Miss Munro yell at me? Why did he have to join in?"

Sophie gave him a shove, "Cause that's what parents do."

She stopped at her door, a couple down from Brenna's, "Give her the night, she'll be fine tomorrow."

He stood in the hall for a long time after Sophie closed her door behind her, staring at Brenna's door in turn. Finally he started walking, kept going past it on his way to the stairs and his own room.


	31. Chapter 31

He knelt on the ground and eased himself down against the tree beside Chris. He had gone some distance to relieve himself and now he elbowed Chris who snorted awake, hands grabbing for his musket. Loki had taken the firearm from his limp hands first so that he didn't shoot first and ask questions later and when Chris stopped flailing around and turned to Loki.

"Oh I am sorry, lad. The woods are so quiet and peaceful at this time of day, the birds chirping, the wind rustling through the pines. Did I miss anything?"

"I know not, I was over the hill yonder."

He saw Chris's crestfallen face and smiled, "My friend, I daresay if you have missed one buck, there will be many others to follow."

They scanned the surrounding forest and Chris sighed, readjusting himself at the tree, "When I shuffle off this mortal coil, I should like to be buried in the forest, or at the very least, somewhere peaceful."

Loki picked up a fallen leaf and began to tear at it, "You have many a season to come. Time enough."

"If the truth be told, I number three centuries plus according to your count. In reality if time were measured from when I entered that godforsaken underworld to when I came here, I must be all of seventy-five. A ripe age for my family. They were decidedly long lived."

Loki threw the decimated leaf away, "Such talk."

Chris turned to him, "Have you not ever considered your own mortality, boy?"

Loki looked down at his crossbow, "My family, too, is decidedly long lived."

Chris nodded, "You do have the look of youth about you, save for that bit of gray peeking through. Still and all, I suppose you would command a great funeral, being a prince."

"My brother would certainly prefer it that way. A grand barge alight, cast out onto the ocean. I will see myself white and stooped before I shall pass that way."

"Ah see," Chris laughed, "I myself am white and stooped."

Loki grunted and Chris patted his shoulder, "You have dealt with loss of the highest measure and come out whole."

"I was broken once."

Chris sighed, sensing his short replies were evidence he was becoming irritated with the subject matter.

"Have you decided to visit Brenna over Yuletide?"

He watched Loki grip the crossbow hard, "I do not think she wishes to see us."

Chris sat forward, "Pinfeathers, boy! She is your daughter. This realm, until very recently, was all she had known. She had seldom been among strangers. You yourself said she had come to find you at the hospital at the risk of her own safety."

"Perhaps I was exaggerating a little, she was not necessarily in danger..."

"Nevertheless, it is unthinkable that she would not welcome your visit. Especially during the Yuletide season when all hearts come together in love and the spirit of the season."

Chris leaned back against the tree, "Besides, 'twould make a cracking present for Eidra. She would want nothing better than to visit Brenna. You know it, I know it. And what of you, she is your daughter, your first born?"

"Who would like nothing better than to forget I ever was." He swallowed hard, "She has never been close to me. She has always run to her mother. I doubt I have ever had a complete conversation with her save when I went to fetch her at the school."

Chris crossed his arms before him, "And you have facilitated such behavior. She runs from the cottage, you let her go. When you chose to run after her, you upbraided her. Look at how long it took you to teach her to shoot that glorified bow?"

"I do not know how to talk to her!" Loki roared, suddenly on his feet, "She is a girl, I have told this to Eidra, we have had endless discord upon it."

"Perhaps you are talking to the wrong person." By now, Chris had struggled to his feet as well and shouldered his musket, "Methinks I shall light out for home, my heart is not in the hunt today and neither, I believe, is yours."

Loki said nothing, keeping his gaze on the ground beneath his boots as Chris laid a hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Forgive an old man his loose tongue. A great many things fail as one ages including one's good sense."

He watched as Chris limped away down the worn path in the direction of the cottage, knowing he should follow him along lest he fall or get turned around but he knew the trail was mostly even and direct and he slumped back down the tree stump again until he was sitting, his eyes on the forest, his mind elsewhere.

Chris was right in every respect. His heart was most certainly not in the hunt. He had argued with Eidra the night before when she too had brought up the subject of a Jul visit to Brenna. He had explained patiently to her for the hundredth time that to visit her would mean a trip to Asgard in the winter with the baby wherein she had accused him of simply looking for an excuse not to go. He had stormed out of the cottage, biting back his response, wondering how to make her ken what a visit would now entail.

At the end of Haust-mánuðr, a couple of days before Mabon, Thor had come to see him, his reason threefold. First to ask Loki to accompany him to gather the tributes of wine and mead from the villages as they had in the old days, to greet the new baby and ask Loki if he was going to bring her to Asgard to be marked and recognized, and to chide Loki for traveling to Midgard alone and unannounced.

When he had arrived, Loki had invited him in and they'd sat at the table where Thor had asked to hold Cait. Loki had watched old fear cross Eidra's face as she carefully laid Cait in Thor's arms. Cait had been fussy that morning but when she was placed before Thor, she went silent, Loki could have sworn, with an awestruck look upon her little face. She stared intently up into Thor's eyes, her mouth hung open, almost comical.

"She is tiny." Thor mused.

"She was born early." Eidra replied, hovering at his elbow as if ready to snatch her away. "She has grown well since our return. She has nearly doubled in weight."

"Ha! She was smaller still?"

At his abrupt outburst, Cait's whole body seemed to spasm and she immediately burst into tears. Eidra had to force herself not to scoop Cait up, instead holding out her hands, "Here, let me see her."

Thor handed her up to Eidra, "I am sorry, little one. I did not mean to frighten you."

Eidra had clasped the baby to her chest and made a perfunctory curtsey, "Of course, she is easily startled, no harm done, your Majesty."

"Loki," Thor had then turned to him where he sat at the head of the table. "You must have her marked and recognized. None of your children have thus been. How do you expect them to call the Bifrost when needed?"

Loki had shaken his head, "I will allow them the choice to be recognized when they are old enough, for now the temptation to abuse the privilege is too great."

Thor had chuckled grimly, "It would seem you have been correct at least once."

He had clenched his fists beneath the edge of the table and nodded his assent as Thor continued, "But brother, you do your children a disservice as citizens of Asgard, preventing them from being counted. Perhaps if you had brought Brenna to be recognized, she would have run to Asgard in an effort to use the bridge and we could have stopped her."

Loki's anger had fairly boiled over, "You recall the circumstances of her birth, do you not?", and Eidra had walked into the bedchamber with Cait as Thor's face darkened.

"Let us not speak of such times, brother." He paused, "You could still bring her to a ceremony. I do not abide by father's rules. You may bring her at any time."

When Loki finally relented with a promise to consider such a trip in the future, Thor's attention had turned to more pressing matters, "Such as what you were thinking when you traveled to Midgard unescorted and unannounced. I had to find out you had gone from your house guest."

It had irked Loki to have a man he felt more his brother than his own spoken so basely of. "His name is Christopher."

"Very well, Christopher. I immediately traveled to Midgard to speak with Director Fury and the both of us agreed that it would be in the best interest of all involved were you to inform me when you wished to pay Midgard a visit in the future."

"It was not planned, Thor! Our child was in danger and Eidra begged me to bring her there. If we had waited, if we had not left when we did, Cait would have died. Could he not see that?"

"He expressed concern for the medallion you possess. I tried to reassure him that your past was just that, your past but he remained unconvinced, cynical."

Loki leaned forward in his chair, forearms on the table, "And did he inform you that he asked me to surrender the Uruz to him?"

Thor had nodded, looking past him into the flames of the fireplace. "He told me I should demand you hand it over to me, he then recounted your past..." He had glanced at Fen who was playing with his animals at Helgi's feet while she knit before the fire, "Indiscretions, as if I had forgotten them, as his reasoning for such an action."

He had fixed his brother with a stare, "And is that what you intend to do?"

Thor's half smile said what words could not, "What would you do ere I did so?"

Of course, he had told him that he would refuse, move if need be, to another realm if he must but Thor's hand raised in the air, stopping his tirade, "There is no need for such a thing save your word. I am willing to trust you, now show me the decision is the correct one."

Loki had seen Eidra standing in the doorway of the bedchamber. Not even she knew all Thor spoke of. His one greatest fear, in fact, was that she would someday discover just how deep his madness had run. In the end, he had agreed to refrain from using the Uruz provided he would never be denied a request to see Brenna. Thor had sworn with a handshake, that he would do everything in his power to grant such a request. Loki had refused, however, to accompany him while he gathered tributes, using as an excuse, the new baby who required such constant care that Eidra was unable to help with chores and so he was tied down with double the workload. He had also considered spending such a block of time with his brother and the memories it would bring back and found he would rather face an entire herd of cows, endless pig pens, days in the hot sun harvesting, than leave Eidra's side for Thor.

Now, as he started for home with three rabbits he had felled tied to his belt, he felt remorse for being so terse with Chris who had, after all, only spoken the truth. Was it his fault that he could see the problem but not the solution? Loki looked along the path as he walked, searching for some good pieces of wood to bring home for Chris to carve; it was the pastime that brought him the most joy outside of baking which he rarely attempted anymore.

When he finally walked in the door after having hung two of the skinned carcasses in the barn to chill, bringing one rabbit inside for the women to fix for the evening meal, he had spied Chris rocking in one of the rocking chairs before the fire, hands laced over his stomach, talking quietly to Fen. He walked over to him and handed him the pieces of found wood. "Ah, my boy these shall make fine carving, good eye, now it is up to Fen to decide what they shall become. Perhaps a rattle too for baby Cait?" The look that passed between them then gave him to know all was right between them and he felt in such a light mood that he sat in the rocking chair opposite, watching as Chris began to whittle one small piece, tossing the chips into the fire before him.

Eidra, seeing Loki empty handed, placed a sleeping Cait in his lap, "Watch her while we fix supper."

Loki nodded, sighed, "She sleeps so much, I can scarce wait until she starts to laugh and smile." He stroked her fingers, curled up into tiny fists and she let out a shuddering sigh, her lips working a dream nipple.

He glanced up to see Chris smiling at him. "My son, you are a good father, let no one tell you different. You have heart, compassion, you need only direction. That you must find within."

Loki was seized by a sudden desperation as he lifted Cait to his shoulder and held her, his nose to her soft head, breathing in her pure scent. "Then may I find it soon."

Chris returned his attention to the wood in his hand, "You will boy, you will."


	32. Chapter 32

She sat on the bleachers that next day in the gymnasium, doing homework and watching Professor Logan teach his self defense class. She had asked to be excused when in fact she had found blood staining the toilet paper that morning. Now she only wished she were back in bed with that wonderful invention Sophie had introduced her to, a heating pad. It helped her every time as she was loathe to take any of the little white pills that Chase called ibuprofen, worrying that it would make her sick just as some of the food had done in the beginning. She was starting to be able to tolerate more of it as time went on and her body adjusted to the additives. Chase had told her that wasn't always a good thing.

She heard the door to her left creak open. She could see Logan's eyes shift to the sound though he didn't stop talking to the class. Chase slid into the room and seeing her on the bleachers, crept up beside her and sat down. He had not met her for the morning meal that day and she was angry, but at herself, not so much him, after all she'd been on edge last evening. Still she kept writing in her notebook, ignoring him as he cleared his throat and whispered, "Hey, sorry I didn't meet you for breakfast."

She peered at him out of the corner of her eye, "Why are you not in class now?"

Chase smiled, "You know what, don't ever change the way you talk, I love it...Economics was canceled, Professor Adams is sick."

"Do not pick on my speech..."

"I wasn't." His whisper rose in volume and they realized that Logan had stopped talking and was staring at them.

"Chase, if ya can't sit quiet, you're gonna leave."

"Yes sir." Chase called out and slunk further down on the bleacher.

"I merely meant it was cute, like you."

Brenna's shoulders fell and she looked over at Chase, "I'm sorry about how rude I was last night."

"Hey don't be, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, right?" He sidled up to her and slid his hand around her waist whereas she leaned into his shoulder. "I was a little ticked off myself with my father's phone call. I'm tired of the fact that the only time he calls me is to tear me a new asshole if I've done something wrong. It's about the only time I talk to him except maybe holidays. The only good thing to come out of the conversation is that he wanted me to come home for New Year's so I might have no choice. His invitations are usually in the form of a command."

"That means we will not be able to watch that glass ball drop that you told me about." Brenna pushed closer to him, her arm coming around his stomach.

"Well maybe not together in the same room but you can take my laptop and we can watch it on webcam together. I'll show you how. I can't really tell him no. It's just how he is. You want to put up posters with me later?"

"Yes, but I promised Sophie I'd come to her room and try on some dresses."

"So you can do that afterward. The posters won't take long, we'll tack them up before suppertime."

Brenna put another piece of tape across the top of the dance poster, stood back and eyed it, readjusted it and taped it again, bent down and grabbed the pile at her feet. As she whirled about to continue on to the next section of hallway, she nearly knocked Brian over as he had been creeping up behind her to scare her.

"Whoa girl, you gonna roll me." He put his hands out, catching her as she bounced off him.

"Oh Brian, I am so sorry." She held the posters to her chest as he picked up the tape from the floor.

"It ain't nothin'. Posting bills for the homecoming dance huh?" he started to walk with her.

"Yes, me and Chase."

Brian looked around the hallway, "Where he at?"

She indicated with a tilt of her head, "He's down the next hall. Do you need him?"

"Naw I was just wandering around before supper." he paused, "Uh, you seen Rachel round here?"

"I confess I have not. Why? Are you planning on asking her to the dance?"

Brian laughed and gave her a playful shove, "You funny, naw I just wanna show her the newest upload of this video series we watch online."

Brenna tore another strip of tape as Brian obligingly held a poster to the wall.

"So why do you not ask her to the dance. Do you not like her?"

Brian looked away and scuffed his feet on the wooden floor, "Oh she fine and all, a real beauty but you know girls be friends with the funny guy, they date the hot guys."

Brenna took another poster as they moved around the corner to one of the stairwells, "Well I believe a sense of humor is attractive. A man can be handsome with no personality and what is he then? Lovely to look at like a sculpture or a painting."

"Yeah but chicks dig Michaelangelo's David. I'm telling ya, a sense of humor puts you in the friend zone."

Brenna stopped, hand on her hip, "You fear rejection."

Brian held up a finger in protest but Brenna continued on, ignoring it, "You do, you are afraid that she will say no and so you do not try."

"Hey, I just don't wanna lose a friend is all. What if she say no get away from me and things get all funny like?"

Brenna put up another poster, tore another strip of tape from the roll on her arm, "I find it hard to believe she would do such a thing."

But Brian shook his head, "Naw, I can't do it. I tried I swear I did. I gave all kindsa hints and she just didn't get it. I don't think she interested in me."

Brenna sighed, "So be it," And was about to expound on the ways to achieve results he was looking for when Chase caught up to them and all hope of a serious conversation with him was lost. She would have to approach the problem from another angle.

She found Rachel sitting at one of the computers in the Tech lab. She looked to be writing a paper, her pretty little mouth drawn into a cupid's bow, her fingers tapping the desk. When she spied Brenna, she smiled, leaned back and stretched her arms high over her head, "Oh did you hear that crack? That was my neck. What's up?"

Brenna had decided on the way that she wouldn't mince words and so she dove right in. "I must speak with you about Brian."

She watched Rachel redden, "Okay? What about him?"

Brenna pulled a chair out and sat at the vacant computer station beside her, "I wish to help him, the homecoming dance is six days hence and he has no one to go with."

Rachel giggled then, "Oh so you need to hep him find a date?"

Brenna shot her a perplexed look. "I suppose, but I..."

"What about Kaitlin Grant?" Rachel interrupted her, ticking names off on her fingers as she said them, "She's a nice girl, psychic though, maybe not a good idea with him. How about Laurel Petty? She's nice, a pretty mean cook too. He likes food a lot...or.."

"What about you?" Brenna seemed to have stopped her dead in her thoughts.

"Me? I never thought about me."

All at once Brenna felt stupid, "Oh...alright then, who.."  
"Do you think he'd want to go with me? He's never asked me out before."

Brenna was aghast, "Are you toying with me. I see you two together all the time, at the dining hall, the library, the gymnasium, you are always laughing and making coy with him. To any outsider, you would look like a couple."

Rachel had wrinkled her nose, "Coy, what's coy?"

Inwardly, Brenna was amused when people would ask her in turn what her words meant.

"Bashful, shy, you know, batting your eyes, giggling?"

"Oh you mean flirting. I guess I do that a little bit but doesn't everyone?"

Once again though, it was Brenna's turn to be confused, "Flirting?"

"Making suggestive comments, looking into someone's eyes a bit longer than you should, acting like a general fool, anyways, tell me again you think we look like a couple?"

"Yes, I do. Why do you not hint at the homecoming dance to him?"

Rachel pulled her phone from her pocket and looked at it, "He just sent me a text, what do I do? Should I ask him to the dance? What if he says no..."

Brenna put a hand to her chest in surprise, "Is it not the custom here for the boy to ask permission to court the girl?"

Rachel smiled, "Times have changed Brenna, girls ask boys out all the time now. What should I do?"

Brenna peered over her arm at the text. "I do not know, I suppose it's up to you. Do you feel comfortable asking him?" She could tell Rachel's hands were trembling.

"Yes, I'm terrified though, but you gotta take the bull by the horns sometimes. I'll tell him I have a question."

She opened her phone and typed, "Can I ask you something?"

His reply was quick, "Shoot girl, you can ask me anything you want."

Rachel squealed and set the phone down on the desk, wiping her palms on her jeans, they were starting to sweat. "What do I do, help Bren!"

"Here," Brenna picked up the phone, "You tell me what to say and I will type it. I might not be as quick as you though."

Rachel closed her eyes, hands together as if in prayer, "Okay, alright, um, I was wondering," she watched Brenna tap away at the small keyboard somewhat slowly, "If you would like to go to the homecoming dance with me." She waited for Brenna to finish and they sat staring at the message until Rachel covered her mouth with her fingers and said, "Hit the send button, quick before I freak."

Brenna did so and they sat for a few minutes, waiting, staring at the phone until Rachel sighed, "That's it then, I must have killed him."

Chase took the phone from Brian, "Dude she asked you out!"

"I know, I know, I can read but what the hell do I say?"

He'd never seen Brian so agitated in all the years he'd known him.

"Well what do you want to do? I mean you wanna go out with her, right?"

Brian was pacing the corridor back and forth, "Well yeah,"

Chase thrust the phone back at him. "Well text her back!"

Brian took the phone, "Man, I'm scared. I ain't had a serious girlfriend before. I dated and all but this is the big time."

Chase looked at the message again, "Well this is a date too. Ask her what she meant, are we talking date or dating?"

Brenna read the message to her.

"Oh boy, now what?"

Brenna handed the phone to her, "I do not know. What do you want to do?" Brenna curled a strand of hair around her finger, fidgeting, excited. "It's your choice."

With a glance at Brenna, she started to type, "Let's go to the dance and see where it leads us from there."

Chase listened to Brian, "Dude, we gots to find some fine threads. I gotta look fly for her!" He slapped Chase on the back, "Hot damn, I gots a date boy!"

"So tell her then." Chase pointed at the phone.

"I'm cool with that, looking forward to wearing the finest woman on my arm at homecoming, oh isn't he sweet? Now I've got to find a dress to wear."

"Damn, " Brenna looked at the time on Rachel's cell. "I have to meet with Sophie." She stood up.

"Thanks so much for helping me, Bren, you're the best. Are you going to the dance with Chase?"

Brenna nodded, "I am, I will see you at morning meal. Tell Brian we should all sit together."

Sophie was sitting at her desk, playing on her laptop, loud music blaring when Brenna walked in and so didn't hear her. Brenna took the opportunity and tapped her on the shoulder.

Sophie screamed and nearly fell from her chair while Brenna laughed, "Here I am."

"You ass, are you trying to give me a heart attack?!" Sophie reached over to the stereo on her dresser and turned it down. "Where were you?"

Brenna sat down on the bed beside a stack of dresses Sophie had pulled from her closet, "I was helping Brian get a date for the dance."

"And did you?" Sophie leaned back in the computer chair.

"I did, he's going with Rachel."

Sophie giggled, "And if he pisses her off she can always give him a little juice."

Brenna was about to ask her what she meant until she remembered Rachel's mutation was the ability to manipulate electricity, anything with an electrical charge, she could draw off its energy for her own use. Brenna smiled as she thought about Brian trying to get fresh with her and receiving a good zap for his trouble.

"Now I thought those two were going together already."

Brenna put her hand out, "Now see, that is what I told her as well. They act like a couple." She rifled through the pile of dresses beside her, picking out a green number, pulling it from beneath the pile of dresses. "Might we start with this one?"

Sophie tucked her feet beneath her, "Be my guest, I'm just here to offer my opinion."

For most of an hour, she tried on dress after dress, finally whittling her choices down to a long red satin halter and the green velvet and tulle shift she'd spied at the start. "I like the red dress."

Sophie nodded, "I thought that was the best one myself. I have shoes to match, what size do you wear?" She picked up the brown flats Brenna had been wearing. "Whoa, Bigfoot! Size tens. You're not going to squeeze them into my size sevens. We'll ask around, there has to be another red pair of shoes somewhere in this school."

Brenna held the dress before her again, "I cannot wait."

Sophie was hanging the remaining dresses back on the rack in her wardrobe. "This is going to be your first dance, isn't it."

Brenna smoothed the red satin bodice with the flat of her hand, "It is indeed."

Sophie smiled, "Oh you're in for a treat."


	33. Chapter 33

"Invisible: Mental Illness and the Search for the Cure" He mouthed the title of the book in his hand. He sat on the edge of the bed in his hotel suite studying the dust jacket photo of himself on the back cover.

He had wrestled with the title for months, had, in fact, nearly finished the second edit when, one night, in his study, he had been reading through a chapter. The television hung over the fireplace had been tuned to a retro channel, turned down low for background noise. He couldn't even recall the show. He was pretty sure it was a seventies serial like "Marcus Welby" but he'd not taken the time to make sure, so excited was he when the dialogue he was listening to sparked something within his mind.

He could, however, recall the few short sentences being spoken, backed by an antiquated score.

"To fix a broken bone, repair a damaged heart is so much easier than trying to repair a broken mind. A break you can set, a torn artery you can suture together, but mental illness? How can you fix something you can't see? Cure something that's invisible, intangible?"

Fortune had truly smiled upon him and he had scribbled the title on a piece of memo paper. Within a month, the manuscript was at the publisher's. A year later, it was number four on the New York Times Best selling non-fiction list and he was being interviewed by magazines like "Scientific American" and the "JAMA", that one had been an honor. It was one thing to be recognized by your peers, quite another to have the Journal of the American Medical Association cast its eye on you. Next month, he was even slated to be a guest on the daytime TV show, "The Doctors".

He felt wonderful, successful, stretched thin. He almost regretted scheduling a book signing in the same week as the convention, almost. However, he was in Washington for five days. Four hours in a Barnes and Noble's wouldn't break him.

The knock on the hotel door broke his reverie. He leaned back and stared into the main room through the bedroom doorway. "Who is it?"

"It's me Dave." Came the muffled reply, "Can I come in?"

It was Victor Luntz, the current convention coordinator. They were old college friends. He had graduated with honors and was now Chief of Surgery at one of the largest hospitals in D.C.

"Not unless you have that blonde with the big tits on your arm and a bottle of Jack Daniels in your hand."

Vic chuckled at the old greeting, "The bottle's on order and the blonde couldn't make it, she had to do her nails."

David laughed, time had not erased the traces of his accent, if anything, it seemed to have gotten a little stronger and David wondered if he'd returned to London for any length of time. He would have to ask him later. "Hold on, let me get the door."

Victor took him in a wide embrace as soon as the door was opened, clapping him on the back.

"You don't get to this neck of the woods much anymore." Vic held him at arms length and David had to sigh. Victor had always dressed like the old college professors they used to complain about. Tweed jacket complete with elbow patches, dark grey button up shirt, blue jeans and brown loafers.

"You haven't changed in twenty years." David stood back as Vic walked into the room and shut the door behind him, "I mean literally."

Victor's hair had grayed a bit more than his. He sported a small mustache and his gold rimmed glasses were now bifocals but his blue eyes still held that spark of youth.

"You on the other hand, a best-selling book, interviews, TV spots? And I thought being named Director of Forest Hills was prestigious enough."

David walked into the kitchenette and opened a cupboard beneath the bar that faced the living area of the suite, producing a bottle of vodka. "Care for a shot?"

Vic shook his head, "Got any beer?"

David rolled his eyes, "Can take the boy out of the frat but can't take the frat out of the boy."

He bent down again and opened the small fridge beneath the counter behind him. He grabbed a bottle from the twelve pack on the bottom shelf, turned and slid it to Vic. "I knew you'd be asking so I told them to keep me well stocked," He heard the pop and hiss of the cap being twisted off as he rooted in the fridge for ice cubes, dropping them into the glass in his hand.

"How are things at home?"

Vic took a swallow of his beer, "The same, Jen is away at college studying to become a nurse so the house is a vast echoing empty space. No more loud music, crazy boyfriend, late night snack raids," David looked Vic over. He doubted he'd ever had a late night snack in his life, he'd always been rail thin and that too had not changed,

"Lonely huh?" David took a sip of the vodka.

"Desperately. But I have company when I need it, trust me." He glanced around the suite, "By the way, Penelope is getting remarried."

Penelope was Vic's ex-wife. They had married just out of his second year at college and were divorced fifteen years later. Twice what he and Annie had lasted.

"A pity. Did she invite you?" He waved Vic over to the couches by the large windows overlooking the city.

"Believe it or not, she did, though I can't understand why," He took another swig of his beer, "And she invited Jen as well. Such poor taste, you ask me."

"Ah but there's a method to her madness, she wants to make you look the fool, wants you to see what she thinks you've lost, and she wants your daughter to feel the same way about you. She wants Jen to see Mommy happy in love with another man and think to herself, that's what Daddy couldn't do, make Mommy happy. Stay away from it, that's my advice."

"Ha!" Vic cried, "I wasn't even considering it. What about you, Annie still on permanent vacation?"

"St. Croix, and Chase is still at that school."

Vic averted his eyes, gazing out at the Washington skyline instead. He knew that it had always bothered David to have his son grouped in with the mutant population. The recollection brought another fact to mind that Victor had been eager to tell him. "You'll never guess who's attending the convention this year? He's doing a seminar, it's called "Homeopathy, the Natural Solution."

David looked at Vic curiously, "Who?"

"Our old college professor, Martin Rutledge?" Vic laughed, "He was on the list to appear last year but he had taken ill so I made him promise to appear this year."

David nodded, "He was quite taken with me."

Vic stood from the couch, "Of course, the whole staff was taken with the child prodigy." He stood at the large windows. The sky had darkened to a velvety blue. Lights all over the city were beginning to wink on. Far in the distance he could see the gleaming white cupola of the Capital building, before that, the obelisk that was the Washington monument. "When I told Martin the success you were having, he seemed quite pleased, you two should have a lot to catch up on."

David rattled the ice in his glass, "Is he in town yet?"

Vic scanned the sky, "No, he should be flying in from Heathrow late tonight. He's booked here in this same hotel, third floor I believe."

David stood and joined Vic at the window. "I'll look him up tomorrow afternoon. Don't want to be too early, as old as he is, jet lag has got to be a killer."

"When is that book signing scheduled for?" Vic could see the reflection of the book lying on the wet bar behind them.

"Oh, Friday afternoon after the seminar on Autism Spectrum disorders. You going to attend or should I sign one for you now?"

Vic turned and strolled over to the wet bar, picking up the book, "Why don't you sign it for me now. A coordinator's work is never done and next weekend will be the busiest for me. I doubt I'll be able to get away."

David walked to the bar, slipped a pen from his inside jacket pocket and opened the front cover. "To Victor, next time remember to bring the bottle and the blonde, in that order, David Wells."

Vic set the empty beer bottle down and read the inscription with a smile, "Careful, Dave, you'll end up with a reputation."

David drained the last of his drink, "No worse than the one I've already got."

Vic snapped the book shut and tucked it under his arm, "Well, my friend, we'll have more time to catch up later. I have to meet with a couple of the caterers about the brunch tomorrow morning. See you there?"

David nodded as Vic reached out and shook his hand, "Good evening, Vic."

"Same to you, Dave."

After Victor left, the door closing with a solid click, David returned to the windows to watch the nightlife ebb and flow along the streets below. Rutledge had been impressed with David from the moment he met him. He had tutored him on the rare times when David had struggled with Biochemistry, assisted him, advised him. He'd even covered for him numerous times when he would sneak off campus for a little troublemaking. He had even thrown campus security off the trail when David had returned to the campus at eighteen, almost too drunk to walk. He had allowed him to stay at his small house off the college grounds to sleep it off. That had been a night he would not soon forget.

He had awakened in the middle of the evening, hanging half off the large sofa in the den that Martin had guided him to. He'd picked himself up off the floor and on wobbly legs, had searched the house for a bathroom to use. His bladder felt full to bursting and he considered looking for Martin to point him in the right direction. What he found almost made him forget how uncomfortable he was.

He'd seen a soft light at the end of one hall. It was coming from a partially opened curved door and hoping that this was the bathroom, he tiptoed down the hall until he could peer around the corner.

What met his eyes was not a toilet and a tub but a table filled with candles and books, a half drunk bottle of wine, and his professor sitting in the only chair, back to him, head on his arms, sound asleep. David had entered the room and began to look at the hundreds of bottles that were lining the shelves which covered the walls. He kept one ear open to the professor's soft snoring as he swung to the table and started to look at the books stacked there, one by one reading the titles where he could.

There were books on necromancy, one called the Treatise of Solomon, others whose titles he couldn't understand, one with what looked like a pentagram on the cover though he could be sure. Combined with the bottles of elixirs, packets of herbs like vervain, belladonna, arsenic, and antimony, stub candles of every color and stones of all shapes and sizes, David was positive he'd stumbled on to Martin's side hobby. He'd been about to slip out the door to fetch his shoes and stumble back to campus when Martin had awakened in a panic.

He'd apologized profusely, saying he should have shut the door, shown him where everything was. When David had accused him of practicing black magic, a claim that even today made him laugh to himself, Martin had begged him to listen. He was not, he'd said, necessarily a practitioner of the black arts, he was, he had told David, from another world. When David had asked him if he was an alien, Martin had laughed aloud.

"I didn't say another planet, you think too one-dimensionally."and told him that he was a light elf, an Alfari. David had never heard that term before nor had he since, he had, however, heard of an elf and he had told Martin that he didn't look like any elf David had ever seen in any pictures. "Fairy tales, my boy, you've not seen an actual light elf until now." Martin had chided him. He had considered going to the Dean about Martin. He was sure that the old professor was starting to lose his mind and no matter how much he liked him, it wasn't safe for him to be teaching students in such a state. What Martin then showed him, however, gave him cause to believe everything Martin said and more and from that day on, Martin helped him every chance he got in exchange for his silence.

David yawned, he was tired. Flying from New York to Washington didn't exactly cause jet lag but he'd been up since five that morning. He put his now empty glass into the sink in the kitchenette, shut off the lights and headed into the bedroom. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

Perhaps the longest day of her life in fact. She was so nervous, thankful too that they had no classes today, it being Saturday. She had picked up the newest edition of "NewsWeek" read the headlines on the cover, "The Attack on New York: A Look Back and a Look Ahead." and tossed it in her book bag promising herself she would do her current event homework on the morrow. She would never be able to concentrate on anything in her state.

Chase laughed at her giddy excitement when she couldn't stop tripping over her words at the breakfast table. Brian sat back in the chair watching the three of them, Brenna, Rachel and Sophie, heads together, giggling and whispering.

"I don't know what all is the big deal. It a dance. You'd think they gonna get married." Brian muttered to Chase.

"Hey it's a big deal to Brenna, this is her first dance."

Brenna looked at her fingers, "You will help me color my nails?"

Sophie took her hands and examined them, "Yeah, you could use a cuticle treatment too. We'll go to my room after breakfast. I've got plenty of colors, you need red to go with your dress, and I'll do your makeup too. Rachel, you were looking for pink polish, right? I sorted them out for you to choose from." Sohpie clapped her hands, "I can't wait, just cannot wait!"

Brian grabbed his tray and nudged Chase, "Watch this." he stood up, inched away from the table. Farther, then a bit farther again while the girls continued to talk. Brian eyed Chase who did likewise until they were both standing on the far side of the room with their trays at the conveyor belt.

"See? They don't even know we gone. Come on, let's get outta here. We catch up with them later."

Chase shook his head, glanced back at the girls and followed Brian out of the dining hall.

Brenna wrinkled her nose at the sharp smell of the polish. "It smells beastly. It rather reminds me of being in Clotho's quarters while he would be mixing some sort of potion or other medicine for me to deliver."

"Who's Clotho?" Sophie asked in between blowing on Brenna's nails.

"He is the palace physician. I used to visit him all the time when I lived with Helgi."

"I just can't believe you lived in a palace. Why would you want to come here instead?" Rachel asked, she was lying stomach down on the bed, flipping through a magazine, waiting her turn.

"I was living in a small town in the country when I left. I hadn't lived in the palace in years. This is far more interesting than the palace in any case. Midgard is unlike anything I have ever seen."

Sophie let go of her hands, "All finished, but try not to do too much for a bit longer, let them cure." She waved to Rachel, "Come on, your turn."

Rachel switched places with Brenna, "Are you going home for Christmas?"

Brenna tilted her head, "I do not know what Christmas is."

Sophie and Rachel both looked up at her, "Really? Presents, big decorated tree, TV specials, snow? Doesn't ring a bell? Well besides the TV anyway." Rachel had been flabbergasted when Brenna had told her she'd never seen a TV in her life before she'd come there to the school.

"Snow? Do you mean Jul?"

"I think the English call it yuletide, yeah."

"Uncle Chris calls it so. It is the winter solstice, the celebration lasts eleven days. Father says it is the time when the dead walk the earth."

Rachel turned to peer up at Brenna, "You're talking about Halloween. It's at the end of this month and its a lot of fun. People dress up in costumes and collect candy from houses by saying trick or treat. You'll have to go with us this year. We can only go as a group to the nearest town with our chaperones. It's safer that way."

"No I am certain Jul is at the beginning of winter, Winternights is soon approaching. We remember our ancestors then..."

"Well it sorta ties in, your ancestors are dead right? Dead is scary...where were we heading with this again?" Sophie was shaking a bottle of nail polish.

"If I was staying at the school for Jul."

"Well are you?"

Brenna shook her head, "I will not return home. I will remain at the school for the holidays. I fear that if I did, my father would not allow me to return and I still have much to learn here at school."

Rachel watched as Sophie painted Brenna's nails, "Will you ever go home again?"

Brenna thought of her mother, Fen, Cait, Helgi and Ren, Uncle Chris and Aunt Sally, "Yes, I must. I miss my family so. I even miss the farm, strange as it may seem."

Rachel shrugged, "Not really, I miss the times I used to spend at my Uncle Tom's farm when I was a kid. We used to love to help around the farm during the summer."

"Try doing it every day for the rest of your life. You might change your mind."

Sophie looked up at her, "Are you going to stay here for good? Maybe you'll graduate and they'll recruit you for the team. It's not unheard of. Kitty and Mister Summers, Miss Munro, even Nala were all students here first before they became part of the team. Wouldn't that be so cool?"

Brenna frowned, "Team, which team do you speak of?"

Sophie's mouth dropped open as she capped the bottle of nail polish in her hand, "The team our former Dean Professor Xavier formed? The X-men?"

Brenna nodded, "Oh, oh the story at the beginning of the student handbook." Rachel and Sophie smiled in tandem.

"But I would not presume ever to be included in such an elite group. My skills are minimal."

"Minimal?" Sophie cried, "You can heal and un-heal people, objects. If you can learn to do that fast enough, you could be a big help in a fight. Blow on your nails so they'll dry faster."

"Perish the thought," Brenna said between breaths, "I could never imagine myself in such a situation."

Sophie shook her head, "Never say never."

By four that afternoon, the three of them had run to the dining hall, wolfed their dinner down and raced back to their respective rooms to shower, agreeing to meet back at Sophie's room by five-thirty with their dresses. Brenna had in fact been early but had to run back to her room as she'd forgotten her shoes.

They now sat on Sophie's bed, looking through her jewelry box which glittered with diamonds, rubies and emeralds in all sorts of earrings, necklaces and bangles. "You have a ton of costume jewelry, Sophie." Rachel murmured.

Sophie reached over and drew out a ruby and gold necklace, "Somewhere in that box there's a pair of earrings that go with this. That would be so stunning." She set it to the side on her bed, "Yeah, I get my sister's old jewelry when she gets tired of it. She gets new stuff all the time because she's always going out with her fiance to these parties for his job. They live in the city."

Rachel held up a pair of diamond earrings, "What a pity they're not real."

"I know," Sophie piped up.

"Not real?" Brenna held up the necklace in her hand and Sophie giggled.

"Oh I wish. They're just rhinestones, cubic zirconias, man-made rubies and emeralds. I have a pair of real diamond earrings and a pearl necklace in my hope chest but other than that, nope, all fakes."

"Amazing." Brenna gasped, "They are beautifully made."

"Okay they're good fakes, then. Ah here are the earrings." She held them up to Brenna's ear and smiled though it quickly faded, "You're kidding, your ears aren't pierced? Don't it figure?"

"Pierced?" Brenna put a hand to her earlobe.

"Yeah like mine," And Rachel leaned over, showing her the earrings poking through her earlobe.

Brenna put her hand at her other earlobe, "Goodness no!"

"Well there's no time to fix that now, you'll just have to settle for the necklace, come on, lets get into the bathroom so we can get you made up. We want Chase's eyes to pop out of his head when he sees you, tonight."

It was nearing six-thirty when at last, they all stood in front of the full length mirror hanging on the back of Sophie's bathroom door, turning this way and that to admire their reflections. "We look so good, Brenna, Chase is going to fall at your feet, trust me."

When Sophie had finished with the makeup, Brenna was surprised at the transformation. She looked much older than her fifteen seasons. She felt older as well but most of all, she felt pretty.

Rachel turned and grabbed her handbag when she heard her phone beep, "It's Brian, they're outside the gymnasium waiting for us. Are we ready to go?" Sophie picked up her little purse and slung it over her shoulder, checking for her phone, room keys, lipstick. "I'm ready, how about you Brenna? You ready for the most fun you can have with your clothes on?"

Brenna laughed, "What does that mean?"

Rachel and Sophie rolled their eyes, "You'll find out eventually. Let's go, the boys are waiting."


	34. Chapter 34

Brian, Chase and Dylan were leaning against the wall talking, watching other couples file into the gymnasium. "Girls always be late." Brian shook his head. "Where are they?"

Chase scanned the crowd for the hundredth time and was rewarded. "Hey, here they come."

As they got closer, Chase muttered, "Holy shit, would you look at Brenna." he held out his hand and she took it in hers as he looked her over. "Bren, baby, you are a goddess."

Brenna flushed pink, "Chase, I am not all that." though she was flattered that he thought so, "You look so handsome though. I love your suit." Chase grimaced. Miss Munro had insisted that all the guys dress semi formal for the first dance of the season at least and suits were acceptable but he was taking off the jacket and loosening the collar as soon as possible.

"You wanna go inside?" Dylan had his arm linked around Sophie's.

"Sure, go on." Chase waved at him, "We're right behind you." He put out his arm and Brenna grasped it tightly. He could feel her trembling slightly, "Hey, you're doing great, what's wrong?"

"I have never been to a dance. I am nervous."

"What for? You know a lot of the students here now."

As her schooling had continued, she had been placed in a couple of mainstream classrooms, taking English and Math along with everyone else, though she still went to Mr. Wagner's class twice a week with her current events and culture studies.

"It is still something new for me. Don't leave me alone, okay?"

Chase patted her hand as they walked into the gym, "Not a chance."

At first, Brenna stayed on the bleachers, her dress smoothed over her knees, tapping her feet to the music but not willing to commit themselves to the dance floor until finally, Rachel and Sophie convinced her to get up.

"But I do not know how to dance like you do." She moaned as Sophie took her arms and rocked her back and forth to the beat of the music.

"Just follow my lead." Sophie started to dance and Brenna was given over to giggles.

"Come on, try it." Rachel pushed her farther onto the dance floor.

Brenna looked at Chase who was smiling from the sidelines and she sighed. "Very well, I suppose I must make a fool of myself as well."

She started to imitate Sophie's moves and with a few adjustments, she was giving a passing effort.

"Pretty good, Bren." Chase called out but his compliment was lost in the loud music.

"Ya know, no one would suspect you weren't born and raised here if they didn't actually start talking to you."

Brenna was tucked under Chase's arm. She'd been admiring the decorating job they had done the night before in the gym, but at his remark, she sat up. They had retired to the bleachers, halfway up, in the semi-darkness, to rest. "Am I that obvious?"

Chase put his hand on her leg, "Let me put it differently. You sound like you attended prep school before you came here and since that's going to make zero sense, forget I said it." He made to pull her back to him again but she gently shrugged him off. "Do I not fit in yet?"

"You do, honey," he was rubbing her arm now, "People like you, they talk to you, they include you."

"But I am still different." Brenna sighed.

"No, no you're not. Not here." He waved his hand at the crowd below, "The first middle school I went to was, in fact, a prep school and I was bullied mercilessly as a rule. It was like a constant college hazing until they found out what I was, then they simply ostracized me, called me a freak until I begged my dad to take me out of school and find somewhere else for me to go. Get me a tutor or something. Of course that meant I would have been home and underfoot and parenting isn't his style so he heard about this school from a friend and put me here." he pulled her towards him again and this time she didn't resist, "Here we may still be freaks, but here, we're freaks united."

"Chase, that is terrible. Do not call us freaks."

"Okay, mutants then, but you're missing the point. What I'm saying is that it don't matter if you're different, here, that's the norm." Chase paused to let his words sink in.

"So it's okay to be different?"

Chase smiled as Brenna leaned back against him, "Now you're getting it."

"That is what trips me up so often here on Midgard, being able to speak the language is one thing but there are the subtleties of dialect and slang that I have yet to master. Frankly, it exhausts me sometimes." She saw Sophie looking up the bleachers at her and she waved. Sophie wagged her finger at them and smiled.

"For example, tonight before we headed to meet you, Sophie said this dance was going to be the most fun you could have with your clothes on. I have been turning that phrase over in my head all evening and I am still no closer to kenning it."

Chase chuckled as he stroked her hair. "Okay lets work this a different way. There are plenty of fun things you can do with your clothes on right? And a limited number once your clothes are off, unless you live in a nudist colony but since we don't, let's throw that out. Okay so what can you do naked that you can't with your clothes on?"

Brenna giggled at this, "Swim?"

"And?"

"Bathe?"

"Keep going."

Brenna seemed stumped, her thoughts ranging wide until they hinged on one last thing and her eyes widened. "Oh my! Is that what she meant? Sex?" She whispered.

"There now say the phrase back to yourself and insert that answer at the end."

She found, as the meaning began to sink in, that she couldn't look at Chase, the meaning of it all pointing so directly to him and as she put her head on his chest she could hear his heart pounding in unison with hers. "So tell me, was Sophie right?"

She felt his hand at her chin as he lifted her face to his. "I have no basis for comparison.." and her words were halted by his lips against hers. She reached her arms up to encircle his neck, wishing for more darkness, more privacy but all at once, the DJ was on the loudspeaker. "Okay everyone, this is what we've all been waiting for. Let's get everyone down on the dance floor. Leave an aisle up the middle. Brenna sat back and looked at Chase who stood up and offered his hand to her. "Come on, they're choosing the court for Homecoming." Brenna took his hand and they descended the bleachers. "It's all a popularity concert you ask me but what the hell, right?"

As they reached the crowd, they were joined by Brian and Rachel, hands interlaced, smiling. Chase winked at Brian who returned it as they laughed.

"Are we ready?" The DJ piped up again and the crowd cheered, a deafening roar that reverberated off the gym walls as one by one, the names of the attendants were read and they filed to the end of the gym where the thrones and attendants chairs had been set up. Brenna had been delighted with them, recalling in her mind, the few times she had see the throne room in Asgard when she was little. Odin and Frigga sitting on their own thrones. She had admired and feared them all at once.

So lost was she in her recollection that Chase had to shake her, "Come on, Bren. They called our names!"

Brenna stood blinking until Chase led her to the middle of the gym, where she was handed a small bouquet of sweetheart roses by a court helper and suddenly she was walking up the aisle to the seats two spaces down from the throne. As she passed, she could see Sophie cheering and clapping for her just as the other students were. Chase guided her to the chair and sat her down, standing behind her as the rest of the names were called though she found it hard to concentrate on them and when they were all assembled, they stood in unison to be presented to the school. Chase had to take her arm, her feet felt unsteady as the roar of the students grew even louder. When the music started up again, Chase led her out to the dance floor with the rest of the court for the final slow dance of the night.

He wrapped his arm around her waist, took her other hand and leaned in. "Baby, you okay?"

She couldn't stop smiling then, "I am more than okay, I am fantastic." she whispered in his ear, pressing close to him. People kept approaching them, congratulating them. Grace, who had volunteered that morning to chaperone on her return from vacation, patted her on the back. "It's more fun to behave isn't it?"

Brenna nodded, knowing better than to disagree with her. She lay her head then on Chase's shoulder and let him lead her along to the music until all too soon, it was over and Sophie and Rachel were bounding over to them, hugging her. "And you worried about fitting in." Rachel teased her. She laughed, she had done more than just fit in, she had become one of them.

He dropped the handle on his suitcase, his other hand frantically searching the pockets of his great coat, inner vest, his slacks for the urgent ringing that was his cell, finally catching hold of it in his right hand pocket. "Hello...Hello?" He closed his eyes, "Anna...yes, I am here...safe and sound."

He looked about the hotel room and walked to the window. The lights of the city blazed across the horizon. "I would've called but I've only just arrived at my hotel room..." he gazed upward at the sky. "Crystal clear...the flight was uneventful..."

Martin dropped onto the bed, "I know...I promised we'd watch the meteor shower together, but that was last year. I didn't know about the convention then. I couldn't just back out...you take the telescope out and watch it. Then you can tell me how beautiful it was...there's always next year..." As if on cue, a bright streak crossed the sky and he sighed, deigning to mention it. Truth be told, he wouldn't have cared if they'd been at home in thick cloud cover, lounging on the settee watching bad telly so long as he wasn't here alone in the states in the same building as Wells. The same hemisphere was even a bit too close for all of him.

"My dear, I shall bring you a souvenir...a plane ticket? Clever girl...but who would run my household with such efficiency?" He shrugged off his great coat and stood from the bed, looking about the room for the closet, finding it by the door he'd come in. "Tell you what...when I return, give me a week to rest and we'll go on holiday to Venice, you love those little shops along the Piazza del Campo...I promise...and if I break my promise, may I be strapped into my easy chair and be made to watch reality TV until my eyes bleed..." He laughed along with her, "Now don't forget to feed the fish and put Pierre out at night, not the other way around..." He teased her, "Yes...I'll call you tomorrow...I know, it's quiet here too...take the car and go see your sister for a few days if you like..." He sighed then as he sat back down on the bed to wrestle his shoes from his feet, "Of course I love you...whatever made you ask such a question?...next time around, you will come with me...now, it's late there, I know that, go to bed...yes...goodnight, luv."

Martin dropped the phone on the bed beside him. He often wondered why a young, well thirty five was young to him in any case, why a young pretty girl would cleave so to a middle aged retired professor. He supposed it was familiarity, he was all she'd known being her first job as housekeeper for him when she was but twenty-two and caring for him and the house day in and day out for the last thirteen years. One got used to being together, comfortable but he hoped it was so much more than that. He needed her as much as she needed him. Not for the housekeeping, that was for sure. Oh she was clean on herself, the house was well kept but she was a bit addled oftentimes, the jibe about the fish and the cat had only been half teasing. She could be trusted too, with keeping his secrets, had done so on more than one occasion. He had offered many times to take her to Alfheim but she had always refused, whether from fear or apathy he couldn't be sure. She often told him she was quite content where she was.

He picked himself up from the bed then and found the remote for the TV. Might as well look for anything good to watch, if indeed there were such an animal here in the states. It would do him no use to sit and think of her and wish he were there or vice versa. In any case, he preferred to keep his private life separate from his work. She was an innocent and he would do what he could to keep her as such.

He wondered if Luntz had told Wells he was attending the convention, thought it over and was sure he knew by now, not that he could see, in any possible way, what Wells would need from him now.

After the night David Wells had accidentally wandered into Martin's private study and Martin had been made to tell the truth of what he was, David had asked, no, demanded his help with grades. Martin thought it laughable at first, the boy had a genius I.Q., was in his third year, working on a Doctorate. But as time wore on, he realized the help was not meant for David. It was meant for other students, his friends. Some of them from very powerful, very influential families, others to whom he owed favors, still others who would subsequently owe favors to him. Luntz was one such person.

He was a superb mathematician, a crack science student, but couldn't write a term paper to save his life. Martin was undecided whether it had been his constant partying and ensuing hangovers or his inability to put the words he so eloquently spoke, onto paper. In actuality, Luntz didn't need all that much help. He was one of the smarter, albeit, lazy students. Others wouldn't have had a prayer without Martin's help and David soon skyrocketed from unknown prodigy to the Alpha male on campus, graduating with honors and a PhD under his belt.

Martin had been at the graduation ceremony to applaud his accomplishments but also to see with his own two eyes that David Wells was truly on his way into the world and off campus. He would liked to have said that it ended there but every once in a while, there would be a phone call and he would end up helping another student whose father was having a hard time buying his way to a degree.

At his retirement party, he had gone home and cried with relief. Countless times during his career, he had considered returning to Alfheim and all because of that one man.

He wondered if it was possible to avoid David during his stay. His presentation was Wednesday night. Perhaps he would change tickets, fly out that night after the program instead of waiting until Friday, surprise Anna with an early return.

By the time he had decided to force himself to bed, it was almost one in the morning. The jet lag had turned him all around. He exchanged his old suit for a pair of flannel pajamas, set the alarm on his cell phone and slid beneath the covers of the double bed then turned towards the window, looking up at the sky again, watching for more meteors, hoping Anna was doing the same thing an ocean away.

She rolled over and peered through slitted eyes at the clock on her stand. It was almost nine a.m. She had missed morning meal. She rolled back over, looked at the red dress hanging on the back of her bathroom door and smiled, stretched. She felt a little sore from the dance, she'd done a lot of it. She had told everyone that she was going to lounge around and do homework this morning but why hurry? She leaned out of bed, reaching as far as she could without physically touching her feet to the floor and snagged the strap of her backpack with her forefinger, dragging it to the side of her bed where she spread her books and papers on the coverlet beside her.

Instead of starting right in though, she took a pencil and studied it. She had been thinking of what Sophie had said. If she could get faster at healing things, maybe she would have a place on the team someday. She laughed to herself, her father would likely try to tie her up and drag her back to Asgard if she so much as hinted at it. Perhaps if she were to become a nurse, or a doctor?

She snapped the pencil in half and lay it on the covers, sat up and started to even her breathing, closing her eyes and concentrating upon the two halves of the pencil. She took it in her hands, put the pieces together and began to visualize them combining, the graphite melding, the splinters of wood interweaving, the paint flowing across the surface until the pencil was whole again. She looked at the clock and frowned, she'd forgotten to note the time. She snapped the pencil again, glanced at the clock and proceeded as before. When she had finished, she noticed the time. It had taken at least a minute and a half. She sighed, broke the pencil, and started over again.

After nearly an hour, she was exhausted. She felt a bit warm so she got up, cracked the window that looked out over the rear lawn and returned to her bed. She had managed, at last count, with forty tries, to shave nearly twenty-five seconds off her time. Each time she would see the break, it was as if she was storing the information to increase her efficiency at the next try. It was as if the more familiar the object became, the easier and faster she could repair it. Like she was memorizing its structure.

It made sense. She had repaired a broken pocket watch for a student. That had taken a lot of effort and time, almost ten minutes if she recalled. The workings of the timepiece had been so complex, unfamiliar. She would have to try again on an object she'd never tried, perhaps force herself to remember quicker but how? She lay back on her pillow with the pencil next to her face and was jolted awake by the sound of footsteps running past her door. She looked at the clock and realized she'd fallen back asleep for two hours. She still felt sore and warm. After she did her homework, she decided she would take a shower and find Chase for the evening meal.

She pulled out her math homework first, taking only fifteen minutes to complete it. Then she lifted the Newsweek magazine from the pile and grimaced, "As Kurt says, soonest begun is soonest done." She opened the magazine up to the table of contents, noted the page number of the cover story and turned to it.

**The Attack on New York: Looking Back, Looking Forward.**

_We've all heard the phrase, "Where were you on...". My great grandfather would have filled in the blank with the attack on Pearl Harbor. Move a little forward and his son, my grandfather, would have said The day Kennedy was shot. A little farther and my father would answer 9/11. Now we have a new answer to that question. _

_Though it's been over 12 years since the day the sky opened over Manhattan and showed us Hell isn't below us, we still remember that day like it was yesterday. We still recall the horror. The heroes who saved us, and at the risk of sounding too cliché, saved the world. The thousands of people who died in the initial attack. The devastation that crippled half of the city's infrastructure for three years and cost billions of dollars in damages, losses, and lawsuits. We ask ourselves what we could have done to prevent it, tempted to point fingers at the root of the cause even if it became the solution in the end.._

She turned the page then and nearly dropped the magazine. Along the top of the next two pages were head shots of six people superimposed over an aerial image of Manhattan laid waste. Tony Stark stared at her out of one photo, the other four people she did not know, but the fifth photo contained her uncle, Thor whose picture was bordered in red with a caption that made her feel sick to her stomach.

_Thor Odinson: The Avenger who brought to life for us those dusty old books on mythology sitting on the library shelves was one of the reasons for the attack which was orchestrated by his adopted brother and a nightmare in his own right, Loki._

She turned the page with trembling hands and at once threw the magazine to the floor beside her bed where it lay open as if taunting her, a grainy but distinct image of her father in a three piece suit holding a man down atop a massive table, blurry people running past him, their mouths open in silent scream.

She scrambled from the bed, her homework forgotten, scattered about the floor as she rooted frantically in her wardrobe for clothes to wear, throwing on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt before kicking the magazine shut with her toe and picking it up as if it were diseased. She rolled it into a tube then and slipping on her flats, she ran from her quarters down the hall, heading for the computer lab.

"Attack on New York" She typed into the search bar and hit enter. Thousands of hits appeared. She clicked on images at the top of the page and sat there, hands to her mouth. Pictures of buildings nearly flattened, emergency vehicles responding, the road into Grand Central terminal where she'd first arrived on Midgard strewn with cars and rubble, still more pictures of the hole in the sky centered over a tower with the name of Stark on its side, immense alien creatures high in the sky. She closed her eyes, opened them again, added a word to the search, "Loki" and hit enter. The images that sprang up were worse than anything she had imagined. She had prayed, hoped that the magazine's portrayal of him as the cause was meant indirectly and yet here he was, though the angle of the photo was from someone who was clearly on the ground below him. There was another picture, seemingly taken from the window of a skyscraper of her father in the distance, at the end of a ramp in the sky, the words below him the massive word yet again, STARK.

Suddenly it was starting to make sense, horrible, heart-breaking sense. She closed the window and leaped up from the computer in a panic unable to decide where to go, what to do. She wanted to learn more and yet she was terrified. Only one solution remained in her mind, one person that might be able to explain what had happened, Tony Stark.


	35. Chapter 35

"Stark Industries, how may I help you?" Came the voice over the phone. Brenna glanced about the deserted computer lab room.

"I need to speak with Mister Stark, please." She stared at the phone book, relieved that she'd picked the right number but afraid that he wouldn't talk to her. He had said that he was a very busy man, said it more than once in fact.

"He is unavailable at this time, may I ask who is calling?"

Her heart fell into her stomach, her bottom lip beginning to tremble when suddenly she realized she knew the voice as Mister Stark's mysterious valet whom she had only heard through the band on Mister Stark's arm. He had spoken to him in the limo, in the hospital, walking down the hallway, in fact he seemed to rely on him for many things, what was his name? She screwed her eyes shut and tried to recall.

"I am Brenna...is your name Jarvis?"

There was a long pause and when the voice returned it sounded cautious. "It is miss...do you wish to leave a message for Mister Stark?"

Brenna wiped another stray tear from her cheek, "Please, I must talk to him. It's about my father, Loki."

There was another pause then, "Please hold, I will be with you shortly."

"Her father? He's not here in New York again, is he?" Tony brought his hands together, shrinking the holographic display hanging in the air before him to a tiny square and sliding it to the clear tabletop at his waist where it flashed bright green and grew to its former size, paused and waiting for his next command.

"She only said she must speak with you. I sensed unusually high stress levels in her voice pattern."

Tony looked about the room, "You're sure he's not there with her?"

"I detected no one else, sir, what shall I tell her?"

He pursed his lips together, fingers tapping his chin, "Patch me in."

Brenna had dropped down to the floor behind the instructors desk at the front of the room and now sat cross-legged beneath one of the windows, listening to the silence over the phone, punctuated by electronic blips every so often until she feared they'd forgotten her. The voice over the phone, thus, startled her. "Hello?"

"Mister Stark?" Brenna immediately knew it was him.

"Uh, yeah. Jarvis said you needed to speak to me about your father. Is he there with you?"

Her throat started to sting and she had to force her words, "No he is not."

Tony dragged his fingers through his hair, "Listen, I don't have a lot of time to spare. What did you want to know?"

She leaned her head back against the wall, "Can you tell me about my father's involvement regarding the attack on New York?"

Tony had been about to step into the elevator, his finger poised at the penthouse button but he stopped short. "Shall I reschedule the afternoon appointments, sir"

Jarvis's voice seemed to bring him around, "Brenna, this isn't something I can discuss over the phone."

He heard her sniffle, "Gods, is it true? I was reading the magazine you call Newsweek for my homework assignment..."

The glass panel in the lab behind him, glowed to life, the cover of the current issue showing the aftermath of the attack on the front page. He walked to the screen and tapped the cover which opened to the story itself, the first two pages showing the aerial view he would never forget for as long as he lived. He slid his fingers along the page which turned for him. "Jesus, large as life right on the second page, don't they screen what she's able to see?" He muttered to himself.

"Mister Stark?"

"Brenna, I'm coming to the school to talk to you in person. I'll be there in a couple hours."

He heard the anguish in her voice, "Sir, I do not wish to bother you in such a..."

"You're not bothering me. I didn't have anything to do this afternoon."

"But you said you were.."

"Changed my mind, see you soon." He flipped his phone shut. "Jarvis, reschedule my afternoon appointments and have my car ready."

"Very good, sir." Jarvis replied as Tony strode into the elevator and nearly into Pepper who stood inside, purse slung over her shoulder. "Are you finished already?"

He nodded as the elevator shot upward, "Yeah, easy day."

When the doors opened, he trotted into the bedroom and started to strip off his clothes, "Jarvis, turn on the shower. Yes I am done for now." He called back to Pepper who was now standing in the door frame.

"Where are you going?"

"Salem center," His voice was muffled as he drew his t-shirt over his head, "So are you."

Pepper crossed her arms, "I've got a presentation to finish for the Board of Directors by Tuesday morning. I was going to work on it this afternoon."

She followed him into the bathroom, "So you can work on it tonight instead."

He stepped into the shower and she sat down on the lid of the toilet, "And I thought we were going to have a quiet dinner tonight, then watch old movies."

"You know we never make it all the way through any of them. I swear I have seen about half of every movie I own and that's saying a lot."

Pepper was tempted to toss a glass of cold water into the shower at him, "Well it's not for lack of trying."

"Sorry, listen you can take the presentation with you, work on it on the way."

"Why are we going to Salem Center anyway?" She heard the water stop after a few more minutes and his words echoing hollow in the enclosure.

"Okay, we're not exactly going right to Salem Center proper, more like the outskirts." He stepped from the shower and she tossed him a towel. "Pack my laptop too."

"Not until you tell me why I'm giving up my Sunday afternoon to take a drive in the country."

"Isn't that what Sunday's used to be about?" He sailed by her and back into the bedroom. "We're going to help someone."

Pepper sat on the bed and lay back looking up at the ceiling, while Tony shot her an admiring glance. "This someone wouldn't possibly be related to a certain god?"

Tony zipped up his slacks, "Maybe? Look, she had questions and she called me looking for answers it seems her father hasn't bothered to give her."

Pepper sat up, "Questions about what?"

Tony shrugged on his jacket, "New York."

"Are you telling me she has no idea what Loki did? He never told her?"

Tony closed the laptop on his desk at the other side of the room and shoved it into an open valise. "Would you? What would you tell your child, "Don't make daddy angry, he can be a real psychopath sometimes?"

"Tony, that's classified information. Maybe it's not your place to tell her."

"Don't you think I know it's classified? Because I do."

Pepper trotted after him into the elevator, "Fury won't be happy with this."

Tony watched the doors close, straightening his tie with one hand, "Fuck Fury. If she has questions, she already knows something. She told me she was assigned to read Newsweek...when we get in the car, bring it up on the laptop, you'll see. Besides, if he'd been any kind of a father, he would have owned up, no matter how hard it would have been."

She cast him a sideways glance, "Don't make this about you, besides, haven't you ever been, afraid to tell someone something." She fixed him with a stare that he tried to ignore.

"Never," He watched the lights descend as the elevator headed to the garage. "Hardly ever, anyway." The doors slid open and the cool October air rushed in, "And not when it was important."

Brenna stole back to her quarters and lay on the bed trying to un-see the images in her mind. She wanted to be alone. When Chase came knocking on the door a short time later, she lay quiet until she heard him remark to someone, "She's not here either, come on."

She felt bad but she had no idea what she would say to him if she did let him in. First she had to talk to Mister Stark, then she would sort out the rest. In any case, she was still sore and her head had begun to ache so she closed her eyes for a moment to rest until she was startled out of sleep by another knock on the door. She put her head up to listen.

"Brenna, are you there? You have visitors." It was Miss Munro. "They're waiting in my office."

Brenna rose from the bed and opened the door.

"Were you asleep?" Miss Munro walked into the room, "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes, Ma'am." She nodded, unwilling to elaborate.

"Get your feet dressed and come with me, Mister Stark is here. He said Director Fury wanted him to check up on you every so often and he was in the neighborhood." Miss Munro seemed disgusted with him. She slipped on her flats and followed Miss Munro out of the room.

Tony was sitting on the large couch near the fireplace in Miss Munro's office. With him was a tall pretty woman with short blond hair pulled back from her face with a hair clip. She wore a middling length one piece dress that Brenna loved though she could hardly focus on it at the time.

Tony and the woman stood up when they entered the office. Tony extended his hand to Brenna who took it and felt him give a vigorous shake. "Brenna, so nice to see you again. Miss Munro, I was wondering if we could have a private place to meet with her? Are you using your office?"

Miss Munro waved her hand to him, "We have a meeting room for families. Come with me."

Tony gestured to the ladies who filed out of the office after Miss Munro. A couple doors down from her office they walked into a large room set up with couches, a TV, coffee table, fireplace though there was no fire in it at the moment. Lamps spaced around the room, a small toybox for younger children and a round table with chairs in one corner of the room. "Use it as long as you need."

Tony bowed, "Thank you." as Miss Munro closed the door behind her then turned to Pepper.

"I'd like to introduce my Girl Friday, Miss Potts. She handles all my affairs and in return gets to hang out with me all the time, what a bonus package, huh?"

He caught Pepper's half smile and winked at her as he opened his valise and set the laptop on the table. She could tell he was nervous as his fingers hit the keys rapid fire. "Okay, kid, what did you need to talk to me about?"

Pepper put a gentle hand at Brenna's back, she was clearly agitated. She guided her to one of the chairs surrounding the table. "Sit down, take a deep breath."

Brenna put her hands on the table, palms down and closed her eyes.

"Now, what did you want to ask us?"

When Brenna opened her eyes again, they were brimful of tears, "I want to know why the Midgardians think my father responsible for the attack on New York."

Tony looked to Pepper, hit a few more keys and Brenna saw pinpoints of light blink at the edge of the laptop case, jumping back as a glowing green screen appeared in the air inches before her face.

"Because it's true."

"Tony." Pepper murmured.

"She wanted the truth, didn't she?"

Brenna could barely whisper, "What?" She saw the cover of the Newsweek magazine pop onto the screen, blacked out by another one, different, older but with the same headlines "Attack on New York." across the cover, a picture of her Uncle Thor muscling his way through a crowd of reporters, flanked by Mister Stark and another man she didn't know. This cover was replaced by the front page of a newspaper written in a foreign language, the photo on the front, a picture of her father being escorted across a dark town square by two people in strange costumes.

The images began to scroll faster now, headlines screamed, "Death Toll at 7K and Rising!", "Path of Destruction Rips Heart out of Manhattan!", "Stark Tower at Epicenter!"

Brenna's mouth hung open, tears staining the front of her shirt. Photos of her father holding a strange object, a spear of some sort. Still more, videos in various stages of play, in Manhattan looking up at the hole in the sky, the street of a dark city, people running and screaming.

Pepper glared at Tony but he was watching along with Brenna, "They tried to suppress the hundreds of thousands of photos and videos at first, but this is the electronic age and in a city of over eight million people, there's not much control with an event this big."

"Tony, that's enough."

He hit a button on the laptop and the screen dissolved as quickly as it had appeared, but Brenna still sat there staring at the space where it had been, stunned and Pepper had been about to speak when Brenna whispered, "Why?"

Tony looked at an image on the laptop screen that she couldn't see. A still snapped by a surveillance camera in one of the holding bays of the helicarrier of her father holding the scepter buried in Phil's back. "Ya know, that's what we were hoping you would tell us."

"How can I tell you that which I do not know?" She cried, feeling suddenly sick to her stomach. She wrapped her arms around herself and put her forehead down on the table. "Is this why the man they call Fury treats my father so strictly?" She shuddered. She was already separating in her mind the monster on the screen and the man who had begun to teach her to shoot his crossbow.

"In a nutshell, yeah."

Brenna had started to bang her head on the table, "That man is not my father."

Pepper put her hand at Brenna's shoulder, "Before you condemn him, maybe you should try talking to him."

Brenna sat up abruptly, staring at Pepper, "No, you do not ken! I mean that man in the pictures, the papers. He is someone else. My father is a prince of Asgard! This man may look like him but it cannot be. My father would not...he renounced his title to live with my mother as a farmer!" She was starting to breath erratically, panic setting in but Tony shook his head.

"Again with the farmer. Now do you get why I can't see it?" He turned to Brenna, "Look, your uncle claimed your father was under the influence of a race called the Chitauri. I thought he was simply a megalomaniac."

Pepper fixed Tony with a look and he shrugged, "But who really knows? All I can tell you is the truth. I think you deserve at least that. The how, where and when I got covered, the why is something you'll have to ask him yourself."

When they finally took their leave of her, Tony left his cell number. "Text me if you need anything." When he turned for the door, Pepper gave her number as well, whispered, "You'll have a better chance of reaching me." squeezed her hand and followed Tony out of the room.

On the drive back to the city, he endured Pepper's silence for as long as he could, then, "I did what I said I would."

Pepper kept staring out the window at the scenery, her frown deepening.

"Did you want me to lie to her?"

Pepper's shoulders fell, "I just felt sorry for her. It's not her fault he's her father. Does her mother know about the incident? How could she not?"

"None of us pick our parents. We just have to make the best of the ones we have." he tapped the steering wheel, "And there's another reason why I don't have kids yet."

She had returned to her room and forced herself to read through the article. Mercifully, it dealt more with the economic impact and the possibility of future incidents, less with how it had all started. She figured that had been discussed to death when it had all happened. Still it took her until evening meal to finish it, finding she couldn't even begin to write the paper.

When Chase finally returned to her room, she had curled up in a ball under the covers, feelling chilled to the bone though she knew she was warm with fever. Chase peered around the edge of the door as she groaned, "Enter at your own risk."

"Where have you been all day. Sophie said you had a visitor."

"Mister Stark."

"What was he doing here?" Chase sat on the bed as Brenna drew the magazine out from beneath the covers and handed it to him.

"Oh man," He mumbled as he read the cover.

Her eyes slid to him. "You knew."

It was not a question but a statement.

"Geez, Bren, this happened when I was about five. I don't remember much of it. I recall my dad had some visitors to the house shortly after the incident and that it had something to do with the whole thing but I don't know what. Honestly, I thought you knew all about it, being his daughter and all."

She shook her head, poked her hand from beneath the covers and he took it. "Wow, you got a fever."

"I know."

"I'm going to get the nurse for you." He stood up, the magazine still in his hand.

"Will you come back?"

He bent over and kissed her temple, "Of course, you want me to bring you something from the dining hall?"

She started to shake her head, then thought about it, "Could you bring me some of that orange juice?" She had become addicted to it from the beginning, drinking at least two bottles a day. Chase had remarked that out of all the things to be addicted to, this was better than all of them.

"Will do, I'll be right back."

He had started out, heading to the nurse's office but he first wanted to stop at Professor Wagner's quarters. He knocked at the door, hearing classical music playing softly behind it. "Be right dere."came the response and Kurt opened his door, stepping back into the room. He was in a lounging suit, an embroidered silk dressing robe around his shoulders. "Chase, vat is der matter?"

Chase handed him the magazine, "Professor, with all due respect, maybe you should screen the material Brenna sees."

Kurt tilted his head and looked at the cover of the magazine in his hands, rapidly flipping through to the main story. "Mein Gott und Himmel!"

He flipped the next page and put a hand to his mouth. "I have been so busy lately with finals approaching. I normally look for such things."

Chase stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, it's a heck of a way to find out your father is bat shit crazy."

Kurt grabbed his arm, "Vat? Do you mean to tell me she doesn't know about dis? About what happened."

"She didn't."

Kurt tossed the magazine onto his bed. "I must apologize to her." His hand strayed to the rosary beads in his pocket and he began to finger them.

"She's sick. I'm heading to the nurse's office to tell them."

Kurt threw his lounge jacket off his shoulders. "I vill go sit with her."

By the time Kurt had made her room, Brenna had gotten out of bed. She felt itchy all over, looking at her arms and seeing that she'd broken out in a red rash. Kurt took her arm and turned it over. "Ja, dere is something going on." He looked up at her. "Brenna, forgive me for causing you so much trouble with der magazine."

Brenna held his gaze. "There is nothing to apologize for. The magazine is wrong. My father did not do what they said he did."

She had lain there after reading the magazine, steadily becoming more convinced that they were two separate people, her father and this mysterious man. Her mother had never mentioned the incident to her and she knew he shared everything with her mother. How could her mother know such things and still remain with him? No, there had to be another reason, another explanation.

"He didn't?..." Kurt paused then followed right along, "Of course, he didn't. Push such thoughts from your mind. Der thing to worry about now is das rash." He steered her back to her bed and sat her down. "You rest. I vill sit here until Chase comes vith der nurse."

He sat in the easy chair at the end of her bed, the rosary in his hands, lips moving in silent prayer. She watched him for a moment, curiosity getting the best of her. "What have you in your hand? I see them so often in your pocket."

Kurt held the beads up so the cross dangled and spun. "Dey are rosary beads. Dey are how I say my prayers. Der carnelian beads are Our Father's, der pink carved roses are Hail Mary's.."

The door opened as Chase led Mrs. Melon into the room, "She felt warm to me."

Mrs. Melon smiled, her middle aged body fit tightly into her scrubs. Her brown hair was done up in a bun and her round face beamed. "Chase says you're sick. How do you feel?"

"Terrible." She looked at the floor, terrible didn't begin to describe it.

Mrs. Melon took the thermometer out of her pocket and put it in Brenna's ear. A quick beep and Mrs. Melon nodded, "One-oh-one point two." She popped the protective ear cone into the trash can under Brenna's nightstand and looked closely at her. "Are you up to date on your immunizations?"

"What are they?" Brenna was starting to itch worse.

"Immunizations? If you have to ask..." She took a cell phone out of her pocket and tapped the screen. "Ororo, are you free? I have to talk to you...okay...bye."

She closed the phone, looked at Chase and Kurt. "You guys have had your MMR right?"

They both nodded, Kurt watched Brenna scratching her arm. "You do not think it could be der measles?"

"It looks like it. I'll be back." She started for the door.

"Wait, vat does one do for dem?"

"Nothing, they have to run their course. Acetaminophen for the pain, calomine for the itch, fluids, rest. I'll be right back after I talk to Miss Munro."

Ororo slumped forward onto her desk, listening to the phone ring, waiting for someone to answer. She had told Carrie to quarantine Brenna. Measles, for christ's sake. "Hello?" Finally an answer.

"Hello, I need to speak to Director Fury. This is Ororo Munro."

"Please hold." Said the sterile voice on the other end. There was a moment of silence then, "Miss Munro?"

"Director, we have a problem. I was hoping it wouldn't present itself but it has. Brenna seems to have caught measles. She hasn't had any immunizations at all and you know how New York state gets with schooling and shots. We have to document each incidence."

"I can't imagine she's the only child that isn't up to date at the school either. Some parents don't even bother with them anymore, think they're as dangerous as the disease itself."

Ororo sat back in her chair. "I'm aware of that but we try to make sure they've at least got their first shots. She hasn't had any of them at all."

"Miss Munro, the option you have is to expel her so she can return to Asgard. The other option is to ignore it. Let me paint you a picture first before you decide. She is from another world, you can't catch a flight or a train there, can't even walk there. If we were to, say, force her to be immunized and she was to have a reaction to them? Maybe dying as a result? The whole realm would come down on our heads."

"Director I understand, but what about New York. We are still a school, we have to comply with regulations."

"Then expel her."

Ororo covered her eyes with her hand, "I wanted to avoid that, but I can't see how."

"Then you just take care of her, make her comfy, give her lots of orange juice and you let me handle New York state. I promise you they won't be bothering you."

Ororo looked out her window and sighed. Flurries, it wasn't even Halloween yet. "If you think you can convince them.."

She heard a chuckle on the other end, "Trust me, you just keep doing what you're doing."

"Alright, but if I get any flak for this, I'm going to put up a big neon finger pointing right at S.H.I.E.L.D."

Another chuckle, "Take care of our charge, Miss Munro." then a click and he was gone.

"Yes sir," She put the phone down on the desk, ran her hand through her snow white hair, "What next?"


	36. Chapter 36

"Poor thing, look at her."

Loki smiled at Chris, "What, she has fresh hay, water?" The rain on the roof of the stable was pelting harder and he could hear a heaviness in it that could only be ice. "I think it is turning to sleet."

Chris peered out of the stable door. "Indeed it is, as I was saying, poor Blackberry. That's what happens, you let a randy stallion like Lightning get a whiff of a pretty lady like her."

And Blackberry did seem miserable, looking at Loki, her ears slightly flattened as he stepped into her stall. He looked at her distended belly, recalling how she had come to such a state.

He had been mending Lightning's stall door early last winter. The horse had been startled and had kicked it, breaking it in half. He had turned Blackberry out into the paddock for some grass and exercise and Loki had placed Lightning into an adjacent enclosure while he worked. Fen had been attending him, handing him tools as needed. When they heard the high pitched whinny, Fen had raced to the stable door then ran back to him. "Papa! Lightning is hurting Blackberry!"

Loki had run out of the stable, stopping short upon seeing Lightning had mounted the little mare, she turning to nip at him as if to say, "hey we have company!" Loki had silently cursed Lightning's ability to jump even the highest fence but there was naught he could do for it now.

"They are playing, Fen." He had ushered the frantic boy back inside the stable, turning to the stallion who was now staring at him as if to say, "Liar." Loki had mumbled, "Dog." and followed Fen to finish his work.

The incident, however, had been related at the evening meal that night by that same boy to Eidra whom Loki had seen struggle to keep from laughing. "Papa said they were only playing but it didn't look like Blackberry was having any fun."

Brenna had shaken her head seemingly about to say something but Loki had fixed her with a glare and she had rolled her eyes but remained silent.

Later that night as they lay in bed, Eidra had teased Loki about his solution to such a delicate situation. "Playing, is that what you called it, truly?"

"What would you have me tell him?"

"There was nothing else you could have told him. You did well. What would you have told me?" She had smiled coyly.

He had leaned over and whispered in her ear, "I would have told you they were rutting then I would have asked you if you wanted to join them."

Their play had soon turned to passionate love-making and as they lay there holding each other in the afterglow, he was sure his life was as perfect as it could be. That was then...

"It takes two, does it not?" Loki laughed and Blackberry shook her head as if to disagree.

Chris clucked his tongue. "Two willing participants mind you. When do you think she'll foal?"

Loki bent over, palpating her side and the life within, "Before the next moon."

He exited the stall and latched the gate. As they walked out of the stable, heading for the cottage, Chris cleared his throat and Loki glanced at him, "My boy, Sally and I have decided that we shall move back to our cottage inside of a month."

"Now at the start of winter? Why not stay until spring?"

"Because then it shall be why not stay until summer, then autumn will be upon us and cold weather again and you shall suggest we stay until winter is ended again." Chris reached for Loki's arm, "My son, it pains us to be a burden to you as much as it uplifts us to be part of your family. Let us try to return to the cottage and if we find it is too much then I shall sell the whole lot. I did hope that Brenna would come home and evict us."

Loki nodded, "I see no chance of that. Very well, if you insist upon leaving, so be it. On the morrow, we will go hunting to secure you some game for a start. Which reminds me."

Loki turned up the hill before the cottage to the small smokehouse at the top, opening the door to check on the smoldering fire inside.

"Is it well?" Chris called.

"It is. Not long and we shall be able to put the meat into the storehouse."

When they walked into the cottage, Eidra was in the rocking chair, Cait on her knees, cooing softly while Sally and Helgi looked on smiling. "Oh listen to her, already talking to ye."

"If only we knew what she was saying." Eidra drew her finger down Cait's belly and her arms flailed. Loki's heart swelled as he leaned over and planted a kiss upon Eidra's forehead. She looked up with a gentle smile. "We were in the process of fixing the evening meal but we were distracted by a pretty girl." Loki put his hand atop Cait's head,

"As would I." he glanced at Chris, "On the morrow, we are going hunting."

Eidra nodded, "Very well. I shall put aside some bread and cheese for you." She handed Cait up to Loki, "Take care of her, we must continue our chores."

He sat down in the rocking chair with Cait on his shoulder and soon Fen was at his elbow. "When will she start to talk, Papa?"

"Not for some time yet." He kissed her downy hair, "I know, she seems quite boring to you does she not?"

Fen nodded and Chris chuckled, "Come boy, babies are women's work. I will teach you to whittle a bit more."

"Be careful with the knife," Eidra called to them, "Watch him, Chris."

"I shan't let harm come to him." He gathered Fen onto his lap. "Fear not."

When Eidra moved to the storage room to fetch potatoes for the stew, Loki followed her, catching her before she left the room,

"Chris has said they are to move back to the cottage before the new moon." He whispered.

Eidra peered out through the doorway at Sally and Helgi laughing and talking by the fireplace. "Does Sally know of his plans?"

"I gather she does, he said they had been discussing it."

"Is there nothing you can say to change his mind?"

Loki shrugged, taking the potatoes from her arms, "He thinks they burden us. If they wish to try their independence again, they have my blessing. I will watch over them still."

Eidra wrapped her arms around his, "I will miss them."

"As will I."

After the meal, Chris sat dozing in a rocking chair while the women cleared away the plates and mugs. A sharp sound, the clack of a plate, roused him. He looked at Loki who was securing the pack for that next morning. "I am sleepy of a sudden. Good food does that to a man." He winked at Sally who waved her hand at him. "I believe I shall turn in early tonight." He moved forward and stood from the rocking chair. Fen, who had been playing at his feet, jumped up and hugged him.

"My little man, we will whittle some more on the morrow. I believe you have the soul of an artist." he ruffled Fen's hair then moved to Sally whom he favored with a pinch on her backside.

"Ye scoundrel!" She cried, batting at him with a linen cloth, "Get ye to bed."

"Join me soon, my pet." he rumbled as he shuffled off into the bedroom.

Moments later, there was a loud thump and a crash. Eidra screeched and Sally dashed into the bedroom as Loki jumped from the chair at the table. In the bedroom, Sally was on her knees on the floor screaming at Chris to get up as he convulsed on the floor, his mouth moving soundlessly, eyes starting from his head. Loki heard Eidra's whispered "Oh no." as he knelt on the floor beside him.

"Chris, come to!" He took him by the shoulders, could feel the muscles straining as whatever demon that had taken hold of him, grappled for control. He looked over his shoulder at Eidra, "Fetch Petter! Tell him to make all haste!" Helgi had appeared in the doorway then, her hands wringing together as she watched, "I shall tend to the baby, go."

It was a long time before he stopped shuddering and they were able to wrestle him onto the bed. He had lost all semblance of speech, his movements slow, confused, the paralysis that had plagued him revisited as he lay there, mouth slack, one eye shut as if half asleep.

"Apoplexy again. The damage is great." Petter took Chris's wrist, felt his pulse. "Thready." Felt the pulse at his neck. "Make him comfortable."

"What? Is there nothing to be done?" Sally stood at the end of the bed, hands wrapped tight around the footboard.

"Time is all that can be afforded here. That is all there is to do. Continue the willow tea. I will return on the morrow to check on him."

Fen's face appeared over the side of the bed as he patted Chris's hand. "He will be alright, won't he Papa?"

Loki could only give a short nod as he walked from the room with Petter who stopped by the front door, cloak in hand, lips tight together.

"It is worse than before." Loki said upon seeing Petter's countenance.

"There is nothing more to do, save keep vigil over him."

Petter started to mount his horse but Loki grabbed him by the arm, "He has recovered before, surely he will again."

"One may hope. Call for me if he worsens." Petter nodded to Eidra who now stood in the doorway of the cottage with Cait on her shoulder.

He ushered Eidra inside and shut the door on Petter's retreating form as she edged close to him and spoke in hushed tones, "What did he say?"

Loki could not look into her eyes, but trained them on the open bedchamber door where Sally and Helgi stood around Chris's bed. "He said there is nothing to do but watch over him." He started for the bedchamber but Eidra stopped him with a hand to his chest, running it up to his cheek where he pressed it there, then leaned over, kissed first Cait's head, then Eidra's soft lips. He lingered a moment, then returned to the bedchamber to check on Chris.

They would sit with him during the day, at night, Sally would lay beside him listening, waiting. On the fourth day, he had started to sleep more often which to Loki was more of a blessing than having him lay there staring at the wall, seeing nothing.

"Sally, you must eat." Eidra coaxed her that morning, pushing a bowl of porridge with dried berries across the table at her.

"Would ye be able to were it Loki laying there?" She replied though she pulled the bowl to her.

"If It meant I would have the strength to help him when he recovered, yes." She saw movement out of the corner of her eye at the bedchamber door. Fen stood there staring inside, watching Chris as he slept. She thought she should tell him to come away but he wasn't harming anything and so she left him alone. After a minute, she heard Loki's low voice beckon him inside and he disappeared through the doorway.

She'd brought a bowl into him for morning meal but when he'd made to rise, to go out and do the milking, she insisted he stay and she did the chores instead. Now as she leaned back a bit, she could see into the bedchamber where Fen had crawled up on Loki's lap and was talking quietly to him.

She looked down at the cradle she'd been rocking with her foot, seeing Cait had drifted back to sleep, she stopped ever so slowly, trying not to wake her in the process.

"She's such a good baby." Helgi beamed down at her.

"She is, that is my one regret, that we couldn't have kids." Sally paused, spoon halfway to her mouth.

"But you have out little ones to love and hold." Eidra reassured her. She gave Eidra a sad smile.

The whole household seemed to feel the tension. That evening Cait was fussy even after she had been nursed and changed. Fen was restless, refusing to settle down for bed. He had dragged his animals into his bedchamber and set them on his bed except the horses whom he'd given to Sally to put on the stand beside Chris's bed. "He made me the horses first. Maybe he will see them and feel better."

Eidra had sat on the edge of Fen's bed for some time, bouncing Cait and talking to him until Loki came into the room.

"Fen, it is time to turn down the lamp and sleep."

"I want to stay up and talk to Mama."

Loki took Cait from Eidra's arms, "Your Mama needs rest too, now go to sleep." he tilted his head towards the door and Eidra nodded though she waved him away. He shook his head, looked at Fen, "Sleep." then left with Cait into the common room.

Eidra stood from the bed, leaned over Fen and kissed his forehead, moved to the stand and began to turn down the lampwick.

"Mama, I am afraid."

Eidra paused, her hand on the lamp, "There is nothing to fear, you sleep in the dark every night."

"I am afraid that Uncle Chris will not get better." Fen reached out his hand, gripping a handful of Eidra's dress. She took the hand in hers.

"You must think that he will, for good thoughts help to heal." She smoothed his hair from his forehead, admiring the blue green eyes that so mimicked his father's, then turned and drew the lamp down into darkness so that the only light came from the half moon outside the window.

"Goodnight Mama,"

"Night, my little man."

Loki had Cait laying on the bed before him, uncovered. "She was wet again."

Eidra watched him change her nappy as she unlaced her dress to change into her nightgown.

"You indulge the boy too much." he murmured.

"On the contrary. He is still but seven and a bit more. What does compassion hurt?"

"He needs to build strength of character. He must be strong."

"At seven seasons?" She reached down, swaddling Cait in her blanket and picking her up. "Let him be a child."

"Need I remind you of my boyhood?" Loki stood from the bed.

"And did you not resent such treatment? You yourself said Frigga sheltered you more than Thor. That he was the one who was constantly in thrall of Odin."

"A fact for which I later paid the price as he would take his treatment out upon me when he could."

Eidra lay Cait in her cradle, "I will not cow him into manhood." felt Loki come up behind her and slip his arms about her waist, chin on her shoulder. She reached up and put her hand around the back of his neck, "My love, he is a good boy. He will be as strong as you only let him be for now. We are all of us worried."

She felt Loki nod, his arms tighten. "Get into bed, let me ease your troubled thoughts." she cooed and soon she had cradled him to her, stroking his hair, speaking words of love until they both drifted into silence.

"Loki!" came the frantic whisper, "Wake up! Please."

He raised his head to stare into the light of the lamp held by Sally. Beside him, Eidra stirred, moaned.

" 'Tis Chris."

He sat up, swung his feet over the floor and looked out the window. It was still full dark.

"His breathing is become troubled." The light flickered with the trembling of her hand.

Loki felt Eidra move, "What?" and he turned to her.

"I am going to tend to Chris. Sleep."

He rose from the bed, knowing despite his admonition that she would be right behind him and she was.

Once in the bedchamber, he could hear a thick choking gasp. He walked up to the bedside, looking down at Chris, could feel two pairs of eyes staring at him as he composed himself and turned, "Eidra, stoke the fire and put on some hot water for tea."

"Loki?" She reached out and took his hand.

"Do not wake the others." He sat down in the chair beside the bed, watching the slow, heavy rise and fall of Chris's chest.

"Should I ride into the village and fetch Petter?" He heard the desperation in Sally's voice.

"He has said there was nothing he could do. Chris thought he was no better than a charlatan. Let us stay by his side."

The night wore on as Eidra and Sally drifted in and out of the bedchamber, speaking in hushed tones by the fire. He would hear a sniffle now and then as Sally cried softly. At one point, he heard Cait awake and start to fuss. He rose from the chair and stood in the doorway, watching as Eidra drew her gown aside and started to nurse, Cait latching on, her eyes locked to her mother's face. Eidra looked up then, catching Loki's gaze and she smiled, leaving Loki to wonder how he could fall in love with her over and over again at the merest glance, the most fleeting touch.

He returned to the chair, his eyes sliding from Chris's form to the window and back. At one point he thought he had dozed but the darkness in the window hadn't changed. He looked at Chris for a moment, waiting for his chest to rise again, waiting. Finally with a great heave, it did and Loki was suddenly angry, enraged. He had considered bringing Chris to Asgard to see Clotho when he'd had the spell those long days ago but Sally had worried the trip might kill him. Loki had explained that Clotho was a healer and that perhaps he could help but she had refused.

Loki had never been privy to the healing spells. A rudimentary few, to heal a wound, to lessen a fever, yes, but nothing so deep seated as this. That required intricate knowledge, elixirs, potions he didn't have and as a young man, had no desire to learn. He never expected to need such spells, such is the folly of youth. Granted there was no guarantee Chris would be healed but now it was far too late. He continued to watch as Chris's chest rose and fell, slower, the interval between breaths growing steadily.

As the light started to grow in the window, Sally came in and sat on the bed for a few minutes.

"Eidra is asleep in the rocking chair, poor dear. I told her to go to bed with the baby but ye know how she can be. She dragged the cradle out of the bedchamber and sat with me."

"If you are tired, take my bed."

Sally shook her head, "I'll trade places with ye if ye like."

"Join me then. I wish to stay."

Sally nodded, taking Chris's hand in hers, shuddering at how cold it was. She rubbed it between her palms, trying to return some warmth.

"He was looking for a nice piece of wood the other day. He was talking on whittling a doll for Cait."

"He spoke of it the last day we went out into the woods to hunt." Loki smiled, "I am glad he was able to take down that buck. It was the first good shot he'd taken since his last bout."

Sally traced his knuckles with her fingers, "He was proud, was he not? Strutting like he used to. When he would make a fine cake to put in the window of the shop and he would beam as people would stop to look in at it."

As Sally was speaking, Loki watched Chris's chest, waiting, longer now, longer still. He stood from the chair and leaned over Chris's face then put an ear to his chest and Sally watched Loki's hand curl into a fist as he straightened back up. "It is over."

Sally lifted Chris's hand to her cheek as her tears started afresh and she began to rock back and forth, barely registering Loki's hand on her shoulder. "I will tell Eidra. We should wake Helgi."

Sally gave a nod though she stayed where she was. Loki knelt on the floor beside the rocking chair, gently shaking Eidra until she started awake and looked down at him.

"He is gone." Loki laid his head in her lap, felt her body shake as she began to cry, her hand stroking his hair, leaning over, kissing his temple as his own tears wet the skirt of her gown and they stayed like that for a long moment until he glanced up at her. "Will you wake Helgi and tell her? Let Fen sleep a bit longer. This is one event wherein growing up is highly overrated."

Helgi sat with Sally while Loki woke Fen as the sun cleared the horizon, carrying him into the bedchamber to see Chris. The women had already started to measure out lengths of linen to start sewing a shroud and they sat around the table somber and tearful with their needles and thread, talking quietly as he passed with the boy.

"Will he not come back, Papa? He looks to be asleep." Fen would only peer at Chris, his face half buried in Loki's chest and he would not be put down though at seven, he was well sized for his age. Still Loki held him, answering his questions as best he knew how until he stopped talking and simply kept his face hidden. It was then that Loki took him from the bedchamber and into the common room where he began to dress for the day's chores of milking the cows and gathering the eggs. He knew his heart wouldn't be in it but it would distract Fen from what had happened and so he sent him off with the egg basket, explaining that the eggs must be gathered regardless.

As he walked into the barn to milk the cows, he passed the spade leaning against the inside wall by the door. He knew he would have to abide by what Chris had wished. He returned to the house with Fen some time later, left the milk pail and the eggs on the floor beside the hearth and took Fen back outside with him to fetch the spade.

"Where are we going, Papa? Why are we not staying with Mama?"

Loki shouldered the spade and guided Fen down the rutted path towards the fields. Chris had asked to be buried beside the cairn for Silas so that he would not be alone in some unremembered hole in the ground.

"We are going to fulfill a promise."


	37. Chapter 37

Loki found himself quickly covered in sweat and dirt as he dug the grave beside Silas's cairn. He shed his tunic though it was a cold day, the sun peeking through thick clouds, burning off a heavy frost. He was glad of Fen who kept him from dwelling too much with his thoughts, even as he asked the hard question on occasion.

"Why do we die?"

Loki handed Fen a large rock he'd dislodged from the ground, "Toss it into the woods." He resumed digging. "Our bodies wear out."

"Will mine?"

"Such questions. Not for many, many seasons. Do not stand where I am throwing the dirt."

Fen moved to the side, "How deep will the hole be?"

"Deep enough." He felt the muscles in his arm starting to burn, thankful the ground was still unfrozen. He stopped digging for a few minutes, leaning on the handle of the spade to catch his breath. Fen sat down, dangling his feet over the edge of the hole where Loki joined him.

"I will miss him."

Loki gathered Fen to his side, "As shall we all."

"It is not fair."

"Indeed." He dropped back into the hole, continued to dig a bit longer. He wanted to be done before sunset. He looked up at Fen after a time, torn between keeping him here in heavy silence and sending him back to the cottage, instead he pointed to the tree line before them. "Fen, while I finish this hole, gather kindling but do not go far. The box by the hearth has grown low."

Fen, seeming relieved to have something to do, raced for the edge of the woods and Loki was left to his thoughts, recalling how unsettled he'd been when Chris had brought up the subject of his own grave. They had been hunting, it had been long before he'd taken ill, in fact.

"That is simply the way we take care of our dead where I come from, my boy." Chris had rested his musket on his knees, opening the satchel for the bread and cheese Sally had packed him. "I have heard tell of the Vikings setting their dead out to sea on a funeral pyre."

Loki glanced around the tree trunk at him. "As I expect to be."

"There were tales that the natives in the Colonies would set their dead on biers high in the woods. To trespass on those sacred burial grounds meant certain death."

Loki took the piece of cheese Chris offered him and nodded, "Good."

Chris smiled, "Happy cows make good milk, thus good butter and cheese. Now, my boy, I wish to stay here as I suspect my dear Sally will be wont to do. After all, she adores Eidra and the children. I wouldn't ask her to uproot herself just to tend my grave. Not in the world you have described, we have clearly been left behind. No this is our world now."

"Such talk of graves and death, whyfor must you tempt fate?"

Chris waved a finger at him, "And when would you have me discuss it? When I am dead? It must be now when I am of sound mind."

"Have you ever been possessed of such a thing?" Loki had teased him.

"Cad," Chris poked him, "Now would you afford me a place beside your dear boy, Silas? I feel the babe must be lonely out there in the clearing."

Loki shuddered at the thought, "You know you need not ask. I will see to it you are buried in the custom of your Midgardian ancestors."

Chris seemed content with this, "I envision a shroud seeing as there be not one decent coffin maker in this province. Pray send me off with my musket as no one knows what to do with the old girl save use her as a doorstop."

"Chris, all this chatter shall scare away the game."

He had seen Chris lean around the tree trunk, a look in his eye and Loki pushed him away though he didn't move, "Do not fret, my son. We have many good hunts ahead of us, but it gladdens my heart so to have you know my last wishes that I will sleep like a baby this evening."

Loki had chuckled, "No baby ever rattled the rafters with such snoring as yours."

He had to stop, glancing up at the tree line to see Fen some distance away before he allowed his tears to come, and he finished the remainder of the hole in that way. Fen was still picking up small branches when Loki called to him. He had filled the front of his shirt, holding it like a pouch. "Let us return home."

"You finished?"

Loki nodded and Fen bumped his head against his side. Loki ruffled his hair gently then they started off back to the cottage.

The women were in the bedchamber when they returned. Fen dropped the wood into the kindling box then ran to peer inside where Helgi shooed him from the door. Eidra came out, Cait in her arms whom she handed to Loki. "We were attending to a few things, getting him ready. We will tend to the meal soon."

Loki rubbed Cait's back, leaning his cheek atop her head, "I ken, you continue on. I will sit with the baby."

Before long the women had left the bedchamber. Loki could see two candles on the bedstand, Chris's body partially covered with the shroud, hands clasped on his chest so he could swear his old friend was just resting and would jump from the bed at the slightest clink of pewter to plate.

As the women silently worked at the evening meal, Fen sat at Loki's feet, his wooden animals out of the box and lined up before him. Loki watched as the boy stared hard at them, not playing, not talking to them as he was wont to do, but giving them a sort of review.

"What is it, Fen?" he nudged the boy with his boot, "Have they been ordered to attention?"

"I am deciding which one I want Uncle Chris to take with him to that place he said he would go."

"Heaven?" Loki grinned, Chris had told Fen of his religion's idea of Heaven though he'd often speculated to Loki that he'd be headed the other way.

"I think I shall give him one of the horses. They were the first ones he carved for me."

Cait raised her head from Loki's shoulder and brought it down heavy, her mouth open, searching for her fist which he guided to her. "Cait is hungry."

"I know, my heart, almost finished." Eidra passed by him, stroking Cait's back. "Fen, wash your hands, 'tis time to eat."

A few moments later, she took Cait from him as he protested, "Eat first, she was not fussing yet."

"I would rather stave her off." She took the rocking chair opposite him and set Cait to nursing.

Loki rose and walked to her, putting his hand beneath her chin and leaning over to whisper, "I love you." before he made his way to the table with Helgi, Sally and Ren whom Helgi had ridden out to fetch earlier that afternoon. He found, however, that he had little appetite, instead sharing the haunch of rabbit with Fen, making a plate for Eidra and bringing it to her in exchange for a sleeping Cait whom he placed in her cradle by Eidra's chair.

"Thank you." Eidra looked up at Loki.

"You cannot nourish without eating." He sat in the rocker opposite, stared into the fire for a moment, leaped up and entered their bedchamber, returning and sitting back down with a length of rawhide string across his leg, he pulled his hair forward over his chest and began to braid it, slow, tightly.

Eidra watched him as she picked at her food and soon enough they were joined by Fen who pulled his little stool between them, looking back and forth until he settled on Loki.

"Will you braid my hair, Papa?"

"Afterwards,"

Fen leaned over onto Loki's leg, his chin resting on his hands. "You have long hair like me."

Loki nodded, his eyes met Fen's, "It is a source of pride as long as it is well kept." He winked at Fen who absently took a lock of his own in hand and twirled it. Eidra always had a time tending to his, trying to tie it back or comb it, grooming being the last thing on a young boy's mind.

"But tonight I am preparing it for another reason." he took up a rawhide strip and tied the braid midway, then continued to braid the rest. Eidra was surprised to see the very tips of his hair nearly touching his sash.

"I am going to cut it off." He heard Eidra gasp.

"Oh Loki."

Fen sat up straight, "Why, Papa?"

"I am in mourning for Uncle Chris. In cutting one's hair, it symbolizes humility, grief, anguish. I will send the braid with him so that he will remember our bond in the afterlife."

Eidra swallowed hard, staring at her half eaten meal. When she chanced to raise her gaze again, she met Loki's eyes.

After a time, Fen tapped Loki on the knee, "Papa? Will you braid mine so I can also send it with him?"

Eidra stood shakily from her rocker and brought the dish to the table where she felt Helgi's hand on her arm and a whisper in her ear as she bent forward, "Poppet, all will be well." She could hear Fen's small voice.

"Have you ever cut your hair before?"

He picked up the last piece of rawhide and tied it at the end. "Twice before. Once for a departed cousin, once for you mother."

Eidra whirled around to stare at Loki.

"But that is not a tale for the telling tonight. Someday when you are older." he took Fen by the shoulder, ignoring Eidra's stare, and began to braid Fen's hair though there wasn't as much. It still trailed to the middle of his back.

"Eidra, fetch me two more strips will you?"

She paused a moment before heading for the bedchamber watching Loki and Fen in the firelight, how like his father in looks Fen was becoming, how beautiful her husband continued to be with his braid draped over his shoulder. When they had been on Midgard, Lily had introduced her to a magical item called a camera which captured a moment in time and produced the image on a piece of paper like a painting. She had brought a small stack of them home with her from their time in the hospital and she would frequently take them out and admire them. Standing here now, watching the heart warming scene before her, she fervently wished that she had such a device now if only to capture this one instance.

"My heart, the rawhide." Loki urged her and she trotted off, returning a moment later with the strips.

He wrapped one strip around the base of the braid, tying it tight, then another at the top. Eidra reached out and fingered the interwoven tress. "Mama, now you will not have to comb my hair."

Helgi and Sally giggled as Eidra shook her head, "Little fox."

"I wish Brenna were here." He pulled himself to her skirt and buried his face. Eidra glanced at Loki whose countenance seemed to falter then.

"So do I, hush now." She turned Fen and guided him back to Loki who had unsheathed the dagger at his hip. He took Fen's braid in one hand, claimed a spot just above the first rawhide set the dagger underneath the hair, drew it across and upward as Fen staggered forward and put his hand to his head. Loki stood then and handed the braid to him. "Hold it. I shall be finished shortly."

He took Eidra's hand and placed the dagger in her palm.

"My love.." She murmured, "I cannot."

"Yes you can." He took her hand and brought it up to the edge of the rawhide strip at the top of the braid, pressing the blade at the underside, "Now bring it upward sharply."

"I do not wish to cut you."

"You will do no such thing. Have faith."

She bit her lip hard enough to hurt as she moved around him, lifting the hair at his neck as far as she could and drew the blade upward, feeling the weight disappear as the braid dropped into Loki's hand and his hair swung free, resting just at his shoulders.

He pulled her around before him and kissed her, long and deep before he cupped her face and whispered, "I will tell you the tale later."

He slid the dagger back into its holster, took Fen by the shoulder and guided him into the bedchamber where Chris lay partially enclosed in the shroud. "Give me your braid." He held it up to Loki, amazed at the short length compared to that of his father's. Loki pulled back the shroud and put both coils at Chris's side.

"Oh Papa, wait." Fen raced out of the room and was soon back with one of his carved horses which he handed up to Loki. "I picked this one. Now he will have something to play with."

Loki let a shuddering sigh, reaching up to his clasped hands and fitting the horse against his fingers.

He lifted Fen up and carried him out of the bedchamber, "Tomorrow we will say our goodbyes. It is time you should be in bed."

"Did he go willingly?"

Loki shook his head, "He kept talking, no questions, just rambling until I had to turn down the lamp and start to walk away. Then he wailed until he received a hug and a kiss. I think he seeks to delay the morning." He pulled his nightshirt over his head, squatted down to look at Cait, asleep in her cradle, then slid beneath the covers to pull Eidra to him.

"Story time." She splayed her hand open at his chest.

"By my estimation it is bed time."

"A story then sleep." She crooked one leg over his and he smiled.

"What manner of story shall it be then?"

She hoisted herself above him, straddling his legs, rising above him. She reached up to draw her fingers through the hair that now lay at his neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Tell me what you meant when you said you had cut your hair for me."

His smile faded, "When I first lost you in Alfheim."

She tilted her head, "What happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well I was...gone. I knew nothing until I found myself in Tir Na Nog." She settled her weight on him, head on his chest.

"I do not wish to visit such memories." She felt him tense, shift as if trying to push her from him and she sat up, surprised.

"There are a great many memories you do not wish to visit and I have never pried before."

She lifted herself off him and sat back on the bed. "Nor would I continue to do so were it not for the fact of your statement. Why, with all we have been through, the life we share together, are you still unwilling to tell me what happened in the darkness of our separation?"

"Pain. Do you ken?" He was sitting up now and the ferocity of his answer shook her. "Anguish so great it cannot be spoken of!" Color was rising to his face and for a moment she was hard pressed to speak.

"Were it possible, I would bury all memory of that time beneath Hel itself. I do not talk of it out of fear. I will need to face my demons one day, to pay for my deeds and I do pray you are not there to bear witness to such a cost. Please do not ask me to burden you so, let me carry the weight that you do not suffer."

Eidra had already lain down again, her back to him.

"My heart."

But she pulled the bed covers to her, over her face, hiding her angry tears.

"Do not do this." He lay behind her, his arm pulling her tight to him but she only stiffened further. He lay his forehead against her back, sighed, withdrew his arm and turned away. The silence between them grew so heavy he was sure she had fallen asleep but her voice came then, small.

"When marriage unites a man and woman does not the burden of one become the burden of the other? Is it not easier to share the weight instead of bearing it alone?"

She looked over her shoulder at him as he turned to her. He could see the luminous blue of her eyes in the lamplight. He reached his hand to her cheek, raising himself up on one elbow. "It is, but what if one considers the other so very delicate, fragile that he fears she will break under the strain of such a thing?"

She rose up to meet him, brushing her lips at the line of his jaw, putting her hand to his shoulder to press him back to the bed.

"Then the weight should be added slowly," She rose over him, resuming the position she'd left a short time ago, "Properly proportioned." She pressed her palms to his sides, raising the night shirt as she moved upward planting kisses upon the plane of his stomach, his sternum, "I am a strong woman"

He could only nod, his concern becoming entangled with his desire as he lifted his arms, allowing her to draw the shirt over his head.

"You have nothing to fear," she whispered in his ear, sitting back against his hips though he drew her forward again, leaving her with a particular weakness in her limbs as she let him manipulate her while he started to speak.

"My brother tried to stop me but I drew my sword," His voice was ragged, "wrapped my hair about my hand, and sheared it off before the entire High Court." His movements rough as he moved into her, felt her fingernails dig into his shoulders. "He begged me to leave your side but I would not." his hands slipped beneath the fabric of her gown, bearing it over her head to join his own in a pile by their side. He turned then, guiding her to her back. They had not coupled since Cait's birth and his lust threatened to overwhelm him, the emotions of the last few days finding vent in the touch of her skin, the taste as he bit her shoulder and she cried out, pulling him further into her. One hand strayed to her breast, rolling the nipple between thumb and forefinger, finding it wet. He rose up on his arms and locked eyes with her. She smiled, her hands entangled in his hair and he lowered himself to graze first one stiffened nub then the other with his tongue, nearly driving her off the mattress with a harsh whisper, "Gods, yes." She could feel the tingle as her milk started to let down and the rush of love as he smiled against her, " 'Tis sweet," She pressed the back of his head and arched upwards as he took one nipple into his mouth, tentatively at first, then she felt him began to lave the sensitive tip with his tongue.

When he raised his head to gaze into her eyes she met his lips with hers, her lust fit to match his own as she begged him to take her over and over, whispering hoarse encouragement as he lifted her from the bed with such savage intensity she was unable to lock her legs about his waist to the angle she so desired. He felt her efforts and lifted her legs with his hands to the underside of her knees where she felt the delicious friction she sought. He could see the transformation in her face as she neared her peak and he left all gentleness to abandon as he drove into her, worshiping the beauty of her body splayed beneath his gaze. When she tightened around him, her knuckle shoved to her mouth to stifle her cries, he could no longer bear it, spilling over the edge, joining her in his own release, in a union so beautiful, she felt her heart would fairly burst as he settled atop her, arms wrapped beneath her shoulders.

"I have missed you so." She cooed, their hearts thundering together, "My heart."

He was quiet for a bit, their bodies cooling in the cold night air as she stroked his hair, reveling in the weight of his body upon hers. She thought perhaps he had dozed off but finally he caught her hand in his and brought it to his lips. "I held your body for hours. It had started to rain as if nature itself was weeping at the injustice of your death. I..." he stopped, she felt his body tighten to her, "I knew I could not save you and so I helped you on your journey from this world. I spoke a spell to stop your heart, to take you from your suffering." he groaned then and she knew how painful the telling was for him.

"I would not leave your side. I was there to erect the scaffold where you lay. I knelt there praying to the gods to make you whole again, to heal you until Thor came to bring me back to Asgard. But who he brought back was not the man before you now. That man had died there on the high ground as surely as if he too had been run through with the sword. Will this suffice you for now, my love?"

He lifted himself from her lay at her side, cradled in her arm. "With each telling, I hope to lighten your heart, ease your burden. Rest now, we have a long day on the morrow." As if in answer, Cait shifted, started to fuss. Eidra sat up, smiling, "She must smell the milk, my little calf."

She lifted Cait from the cradle and returned to the bed where Loki lay watching. "She knows what is good." he ran a finger along one clenched fist, delighting as it opened and took the finger in a tight grip.

Eidra watched Cait start to suckle and she glanced over at Loki, "This night was beautiful."

Loki leaned back on the pillow, his hand resting on Eidra's thigh, "It was." he squeezed her thigh gently, "I love you, my heart."

"And I you."

Long after she had settled the baby back in her cradle and nestled into Loki's embrace, she lay thinking about what he had told her. He had not been the same man, and yet he had returned to her whole. She lay her arm across his. Perhaps it would be better indeed not to know and this was her last thought as exhaustion dropped her into the abyss of a dreamless slumber.


	38. Chapter 38

Brenna turned over and stared about her room. It was quiet. She looked at her clock. Five a.m. She sat up and searched for the chain on the lamp atop her stand. She felt all at once uncomfortable though she couldn't put her finger on the cause. She got out of bed feeling a little unsteady still.

It had been nearly two weeks past since she'd fallen ill with what Chase had called the measles. It had laid her up alone for nearly a week. As luck would have it, the people most important to her sanity were the ones who were immune to the sickness. Sophie would visit and they'd sit and talk and do their homework together. Chase would bring her meals and they would sit and watch some of the silly shows on TV or watch videos on the computer, talk. Lots of talk.

Professor Wagner had visited her almost daily as well. He had continued to apologize for his mistake with the magazine until Brenna had begged him to stop, telling him she forgave him though she had already written the whole incident off in her mind. She had even told Chase the matter was closed for discussion and as it was there were other things on everyone's mind.

"You still haven't decided on a costume and the Halloween party is two days away." Sophie had admonished her. She had tried to explain to them that this time of year for her was the celebration of Winternights.

"Halloween sounds like our Walpurgis. You have it all wrong."

Sophie had shrugged, "And everyone has different holidays, now you have a new one to celebrate."

She had therefore held back on choosing a costume. The practice was still alien to her. Still, she walked to her writing desk and turned on the laptop just to dispel the strange feelings surrounding her.

The glowing screen made her feel more alone, however, even deepening the eerie feeling that pervaded the room. She decided to get dressed then and wander down to the kitchen, grab a bottle of orange juice and as the door closed behind her she felt a bit more relieved. She started towards the stairwell to the first floor and had to stifle a scream as she rounded the corner into Grace.

"Holy sh...sugar, what are you doing up at this hour?" She cried, a hand to her chest, clipboard clattering to rest on the floor.

Brenna picked it up and handed it to her, trying to catch her breath. "I felt funny in my room. Perhaps it was a bad dream but I had to get out and take a walk. I was heading to the kitchen for some juice."

"I'll walk with you. Wow if I was tired before, I am not now."

Brenna smiled but it was quick.

"Is everything alright?" Grace felt her forehead, "You're not sick again?"

"No. I just...something is wrong."

"Wrong how?"

"Like something has happened." She had been ready to add. "In Asgard" but she felt silly. How could she know of something a world away. Maybe she was still suffering from the aftereffects of the measles.

They reached the kitchen which was still quiet. Soon the staff would be in to start preparing the morning meal. She opened the big refrigerator door and grabbed an orange juice. "I think it was just a bad dream."

"You can't remember anything about it?" Grace peered into the refrigerator, grabbing a bottle of grape juice and closing the door.

"No, it just left me with a bad feeling."

"I hate those kind of dreams, you wake up scared and yet you don't know why."

Brenna nodded, looked out the big bay windows beside the staff kitchen tables and saw the sky was starting to lighten. "I am going to return to my room, I think."

Grace took a swallow of her juice, "Oh sure. I have to post the duty roster."

She felt a bit better as she reached her room and when she got inside, found the strange feeling had dissipated. She was ready to chalk it up to the scary movies Chase and Brian had introduced her to as Halloween neared. They had started with Frankenstein and Dracula, old movies by their standards and then they had progressed to more modern ones like Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Friday the Thirteenth which had her hiding her face on Sophie's shoulder. No matter how many times they told her everything was fake, it was real enough to frighten her. "That's the beauty of movie magic, it all look real." Brian had teased.

When Chase showed up to walk her to the dining hall, the whole incident had been pushed to the back of her mind. Sophie was waiting at their table when they arrived with their trays.

"French toast sticks? Bren, you're living dangerously."

"No I am getting used to all the unidentifiable additives you people put in your food. Chase tells me that pretty soon I will glow in the dark like everyone else."

Chase grinned, "Won't that be fun?"

Brian reached out a hand and Chase gave it a slap as they laughed.

"Pigs, all of them. So Sophie to the rescue again. Rachel has a couple ideas for costumes for you. The drama club has all sorts you can borrow. She okayed it with Miss Horn. Oh and did you hear they're doing the psychic fair again this year at the party?"

Brenna picked up a strip of french toast, "A fair?"

"A psychic fair, you know, with tarot card readings, psychics, mediums, scryers. I love the tarot cards myself. It's all for fun. I mean they bring in people from the outside but I don't know if I believe in it all. Ghosts are even a stretch for me."

"Aw you take all the fun outta the holiday. It's all about the spirits and the serial killers and all that." Brian frowned.

Sophie stuck out her tongue, "I didn't say I wouldn't have fun. I just don't believe you can see into the future."

Chase pointed at her with a fork, "Billy Kennedy can."

"Okay," Sophie rolled her eyes "But he can only see ahead one minute. I mean how can you see like way into the future or the past, talk to the dead, I guess I just have to see it to believe it. What about you Brenna, do they have ghosts where you come from?"

Brenna nodded, "Though I have never seen one, I hear tales of them. My Uncle Chris would tell stories of spirits, banshees, bogeymen. He said he learned them as a young man here on Midgard. I had many a sleepless night from them."

What are you going to the party as?" Sophie looked at Chase.

"I'm going as a prison guard."

Brian was nodding, "And I'se gonna be his prisoner. I gots me handcuffs and a prison jumpsuit, bright orange. My momma brought it down to me last week."

When they all turned to stare at him he sat back, hands on his hips, "It was bought from a costume store. What y'all think I got it off my cousin? They don't let them take those outta the joint."

Chase shook his head, "Have you ever thought about not broadcasting that shit?"

He waved his hand at Chase, "Shit man, either y'all hear it from me or see it on the evening news."

Rachel unlocked the dressing rooms behind the stage and flipped on the lights. "You don't have the slightest idea what you want to go to the party as?"

Brenna shook her head.

"Well what's Chase going as?"

"A prison guard."

"Yeah," Sophie added, "But Brian is his prisoner."

Rachel giggled, "I could see that coming," then put her hand over her mouth, "I'm terrible aren't I."

"Seeing as you're dating him, I'd say yes.."

Rachel wrinkled her nose, "I know, don't tell him I said that." She pushed through the racks of costumes. "We have Cleopatra? Queen of the Nile?"

Brenna pulled out the white linen skirt, "Who?"

"C'mon, you're not flunking in world history. Egyptian queen? Marc Anthony's lover?"

"Egypt, oh yes, and oh no. Keep going."

Rachel slid another costume over, "Martha Washington. America's first First Lady?" She looked at Brenna who was frowning, "No huh. We have a Native American squaw costume, Pocahontas, wanna be an indian?"

Brenna slid another few costumes down the rack, pulled out a red sheath with fringes all around it. "What is this?"

"Oh that's a flapper. From the nineteen-twenties. They were today's equivalent of the anarchists. Smoked, drank, wore their hair short, skirts shorter."

"Oh yes, I read about them when I learned about prohibition." She slid the dress down, "It's not me." She sighed. "Maybe I should just put some cat ears on and paint whiskers on my face like you suggested, Sophie."

Sophie narrowed her eyes and put her hands atop her head, "Prison guard, prison guard...wait!"

She ran to the rack and started shoving the costumes back and forth until she found what she wanted. She took down a short halter dress, red spangled with a feather boa draped over the top of the hanger. "He's a prison guard, Brian's a convict, you can be a hooker!"

"Hooker?"

"Ooooh!" Sophie moaned, "A hooker, a lady of the evening?" Brenna stood there stone faced.

"A prostitute? Geez, a whore?"

Brenna's mouth dropped open, "A whore! Gods!"

"Oh it's all in fun, it's not like we're going to make you turn tricks or anything. It's a party for crying out loud. Fun, pretend. Then you'll look like you belong together, Rachel you could dress up as a pimp."

"Well I did have a..." She blushed pink, "A cat suit planned...but I guess pimp would be more fun. Let me see what I can find on the rack here. Will that dress fit?"

"C'mon let's try it on." Sophie started to drag Brenna to one of the fitting rooms but she stopped short.

"A whore? Will people not think I am, well...I do not want to be...a whore."

"For real? Party, please keep that in your head, this is all for fun. Chase will get a kick out of it."

Brenna allowed herself to be led to the dressing room while Rachel searched the racks.

"Yell to me when you' have it on and I'll zip it up."

Brenna slid the dress up her body and slipped her arms through the straps, catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror of the little booth and smiling, though she felt a bit ashamed. After all being a whore wasn't exactly a good thing. But Sophie was right, it was all in fun. She opened up the door and presented her back to Sophie who zipped up the dress. She turned around and put her hands out, "Well?"

"Gee it's even slightly roomy, let me tie the sash in the back."

Brenna put her hands on her hips and posed, mimicked blowing a kiss and Sophie clapped her hands. "Oh you look like a loose woman. We can make you up with really red lipstick, bright eye shadow, Rachel look."

Rachel's head poked out of the rack, "Oh now that's slutty. Hold on."

She brought out a shiny blue suit jacket, taking it from the hanger and donning it. She unhooked from the hanger a hat with a fur strap around the middle and put it on her head. "And I think we have platform shoes around here somewhere." She adopted an aggressive swagger as she walked towards them, "Bitch, what you doing here, I told you to stay on that john and get some tricks turning."

Sophie was doubled over with laughter, "Now you slide up to her, Bren, like you're trying to make good with her."

Rachel mimed slapping her, "Naw you think you fancy. Get out on that corner and show 'em some A and T!"

"A and T?"

"Ass and tits, gonna have to learn the lingo if you wanna work with me."

Brenna rolled her eyes but she'd never had more fun. She wished, in fact, that she could have come to this school seasons ago. Midgard was becoming her home.

That afternoon, before the party, they met in Sophies room to get dressed. Brenna felt a bit unsteady in the high heels they gave her. "But you wouldn't look half as slutty in flats." Sophie admonished her. She couldn't stop laughing at Rachel's fake eyeliner mustache. "I do hope that comes off later. You would look very funny going to class like that."

They were about to leave for the gymnasium when they heard outside the door, "Prisoner, knock!"

"Yassum," Rachel swung the door open and Brian's face fell, "Aw, i'se didn't get to knock guard, sir."

Chase poked Brian with a nightstick, "That's cause you weren't quick enough. Half rations for you." He looked into the room to see Brenna. "Holy mother of mercy! A hooker, that's what you didn't want to tell me?"

Brenna had refused to reveal what she was wearing when he had asked. She had to admit, she was afraid Chase would disapprove but she was determined not to spoil Rachel's fun. "That's right."

Rachel muscled in front of Brenna, "And if you want to talk to her, it's gonna cost you ten bucks. She's not cheap."

Chase waved his nightstick at Rachel, "What I tell you about bringing your ho's around here?"

Brenna smiled, relieved to see Chase playing along though as they headed down the hallway, she noticed he kept close to her. At one point he leaned over and whispered, "Brenna, you are a knockout. You never cease to amaze me. Rachel do your hair like that?"

She patted her hair self consciously. Rachel had brushed it in an updo and sprayed it with a ton of hair spray. She'd added chunky plastic jewelry and clip on earrings. Brenna tried to keep the boa tied around her neck however, as she was shocked at the cleavage the dress showed.

The lights in the gymnasium had been traded for black light poles all around the sides of the room and there were fog machines going off every so often. "Thriller!" Sophie cried, "Oh they're going to do the dance." She grabbed Brenna's hand, "Come on I wanna watch."

They drifted through the crowd, Brenna turning so she felt like a top, looking at all the different costumes. A spotted dog with an over large head that he had to hold on to. A mummy with an Egyptian queen on his arm. She was glad she hadn't picked that costume. There were a couple of kids with leotards on, glow sticks attached to their limbs and the rest of their torsos. She was fascinated with them until she saw a girl in a red hood over a short frilly dress accompanied by a hairy wolf.

"Such costumes, I have never seen the like. This is Halloween?"

"For teenagers, yeah." Sophie shouted above the din of the music, "The little kids go trick or treating, remember like I told you?"

"For candy, yes. I like this better though."

"Duh, you're a teenager."

"Hey what's the going rate these days for an hour, baby?"

Brenna whirled around. It was Dylan, dressed up in a yellow shirt and pants, a brown hat and a large round sticker on his chest that read "Chiquita" on it.

"What are you supposed to be?"

He opened up his arms, "A banana? Isn't it obvious?"

Sophie put her hands over her mouth at first, finally bursting out with a loud laugh, "You said I would find your costume appealing. Oh god I'm such a ditz!"

Dylan nodded, "I thought you got the play on words. I guess I was wrong."

Sophie twitched her whiskers and sidled up to Dylan, "I'll find you appealing later."

Dylan hugged her from behind, "Oooo, here kitty, kitty."

Chase reached over and poked Dylan with his nightstick, "Hey no public lewdness."

"He's right," Came a voice, startling them all. Logan stood behind them, wearing sunglasses, a white t-shirt and a black leather jacket and pants.

"Oh hell no, sir." Dylan flung his arms behind his back. "Hey, James Dean right?"

Logan stared at them, "Yeah you go with that," He turned his head towards Brenna though with the dark glasses she couldn't be sure at first that he was looking at her. "You having fun tonight, Bren?"

"Yessir,"

"Your father would probably flip if he saw you dressed like that." a smile crept onto his face.

"Undoubtedly."

Logan seemed to scan the room, "Just behave is all I'm telling ya." he nodded to them and continued on through the crowd.

"Why do we even need chaperones?" Dylan grumbled as he resumed hugging Sophie, yelping when Chase popped him on the seat of his pants.

"Um, because of you?"

Rachel tugged on Brian's arm, "Come on let's go get our tarot cards read. I looked over at the booths and the lines aren't too bad."

Brian rolled his eyes and glanced at Chase, "Whadda ya say? You wanna head on over?"

"Hey, why you asking him?" Rachel cried as Brian pointed to him, "He my guard, baby, I don't listen to him, he gonna take away my conjugal visits."

Chase took Brenna's hand, "You gonna try getting your fortune told?"

Brenna looked at the various tents set up around the perimeter of the gym, they were festooned with bright silk scarves, strings of lights, strange symbols.

"I do not know, one should not know too much about their future."

They stopped before one of the tents with a sign hung by the closed flap, "Psychic readings Five Bucks."

Brenna opened her purse. She had saved money for the week. She had started to work in the school library three nights a week to earn some extra money, providing her with the means to buy things like pens, paper, pencils, a candy bar on occasion.

"I'll give you the five bucks if you need it." Chase was taking his wallet out of his pants.

"No I have it, honestly." As she was taking the bill out of her purse, a student exited the tent, waving as he passed them.

"Hey Chase."

It was Billy Kennedy.

Chase shook his head, "Probably gave the lady gray hairs. Go on, you're the next one."

"Alone?"

He pointed at the sign where the small print read, "One person at a time, please."

"Are you scared?" Chase rubbed her back.

"No, I feel silly." She glanced around the gym. Sophie and Dylan were standing at the tarot card tent. They smiled at her and Sophie pointed towards the tent. Brenna nodded and Sophie shot her a thumbs up.

"Go on, I'll wait here." Chase walked to the gym wall and leaned against it.

Brenna sighed, then poked her head into the tent, "Hi?"

The woman, a pretty plump redhead in a green cotton tunic and a darker green broomstick skirt, waved her inside.

"Come in, come in. My spirit guide has been positively frantic to get you in here!"

The woman was seated at a card table and she pointed to a chair on the opposite side. "My name is Bridget. I am a psychic and a medium. Welcome to my..." She looked about the tent and smiled, "haven."

Brenna sat down and handed Bridget the five dollar bill.

"Oh, okay I don't usually require payment until the end but that gets things out of the way first."

Brenna looked about the tent. On the table were two white pillar candles that flickered in the air. There was also a cone of incense burning on a small metal plate and a statue of a gold plated cross with a rounded top. She tried to recall what it was, she had seen it before. Bridget noticed her staring at it. "It's an Ankh, the Egyptian symbol for eternal life, or the afterlife, whichever you believe in...alright, okay."

Brenna tilted her head, "Excuse me?"

Bridget laughed and waved her arms, silver bracelets jingling musically, she had to have had ten on each arm, "My spirit guide is telling me to get on with it. Her name is Agatha, she was a well to do young woman in the late nineteen-hundreds when she was struck down in her prime by diptheria. She came to me when I was a little girl, all alone in a new house, a new school with no friends. She's been with me ever since...whoa, okay, tell him to hold his horses."

Brenna felt a tiny bit like she'd stepped into one of those old shows Chase and the others had introduced her to last week...what were they called, the Twilight Zone? She briefly considered thanking her and slipping out of the tent but Bridget was rubbing her hands together, her eyes closed. She took a deep breath then let it out.

"Give me your hands, on the table, flat."

When Brenna hesitated, Bridget smiled broadly, her teeth were stark white with just a smudge of her coral lipstick. The music outside the tent was muffled, "I won't hurt you child. I have things to tell you."

Brenna put her hands on the table and Bridget at once covered them with hers. Her hands were warm, moist, not clammy, motherly.

"Agatha has someone with her. It is a man. Do you know someone named Christopher?"

Brenna was so startled she nearly jumped from her seat, "I know of one named Chris. He is my uncle, well we call him uncle. But he is..." she paused, "He is home with my family."

"I'm getting to it, wow, he is an impatient spirit. I hate to tell him he has nothing but time now." Bridget glanced around the room, seeing something she could not.

"Okay, he says he is here to watch over you since your father cannot."

Brenna shook her head, "The only man I know named Christopher is my uncle. I know of no other Christopher."

Bridget shrugged, "He claims he knows you."

Brenna's heart was beginning to pound, "I know of no one else." She knew she was starting to shout.

"Alright, okay...don't get upset honey. Okay he says ask him a question he will answer it for you."

Her stomach was starting to turn, she was feeling dizzy. If it was truly Chris, then something horrible had happened at home. The feeling she'd had a couple days hence, as if she were being watched..she swallowed hard.

"What did we talk of at the forge that day with my father?"

Bridget cast her a strange look, "He's agitated, saying something about being old and forgetful...wait a minute." Bridget wrinkled her nose, "Really? Alright. He says you discussed the dream you had about Midgard?"

Brenna yanked her hands from Bridget's and covered her mouth, "No, no, no."

Bridget's face softened, she reached for Brenna's hands again, "You didn't know he passed on, dear. He says he is sorry, he didn't mean to frighten you. He wanted to watch over you for your family. Hold on, he's sending an image to me. This one is a warning but he knows not where it comes from only that you have seen it." She closed her eyes again, put her head down on her chest. "I see a room, it is dark the walls look metal, but there is a patch of light in the middle, coming down from some sort of vent in the ceiling. In the light on the floor there is a dagger or a knife of some sort. Dark steel, the hilt is carved with snakes..."

Brenna had started a violent shaking.

"This, he says, is something you have seen yet not seen."

"In a dream." She whispered at first, then louder, "In a dream."

"He says the place is real, avoid it at all costs."

She was out of the seat now but Bridget waved at her, "Wait, he says he doesn't know how long he will be allowed to stay. That he missed you terribly and that he and your family are very proud of you."

"It cannot..." She clamped her mouth shut tightly, grabbed her purse and darted from the tent so fast that she nearly ran into a couple of students waiting outside for their turn. Chase watched her run for the gymnasium door, pushing her way through the crowd. "Brenna!" he tried to shout above the music as he ran to catch up with her but she kept moving until she had reached the doors into the hallway.

"Damn!" Chase swore as she disappeared into the hallway.

She had broken out into a cold sweat. The porcelain of the toilet bowl felt oddly soothing even if the retching clench of her stomach did not. She had purged the contents of her stomach, the evening meal, reaching the bathroom with barely enough time to spare. "Brenna are you in there?"

It was Chase. She took a piece of toilet paper and wiped her mouth. She would have to get a bottle of water. "Yes. Hold on." She felt her stomach tighten again and the tears threatening to overtake her. Uncle Chris, gone? She hadn't even had a chance to see him for the last time, and Chris had been her father's closest, dearest friend? What must he be going through at this point?

She stood up from the cold tile floor on wobbly legs. She had long ago shed her high heels, the night quickly turning somber for her. She exited the stall to find Chase standing beside the sinks, arms crossed.

"What the heck happened, baby?" He opened his arms to her and she flew into them.

"Chase, I think my Uncle Chris has passed on. The psychic said he was here with me, that he was going to watch over me."

Chase caressed her back, "Hon, those things are just for fun."

Brenna backed from him, catching movement out of the corner of her eye and giving a little shriek before she realized it was their reflections in the mirror.

"No the spirit knew something only my uncle would know. It was about a dream I had. We had talked of it with my father." She felt weak, "I need to sit down."

Once in the hallway, Chase started to direct her back to the party. At first she protested but he was able to coax her inside, telling her they could sit on the bleachers for a bit so she could calm down.

She watched the costumed students dancing around, shoved under Chase's arm. "Wow, I mean talking to someone from beyond the grave, and on Halloween night."

"Chase!" Brenna cried.

"I'm sorry. It was uber cool. I mean not the fact that your uncle is obviously..."

"Dead, the word is dead and I cannot believe it." She put her head in her hands. "I cannot believe I wasn't there."

"Well you said yourself, you make sacrifices to be happy."

She leaned back onto the next bleacher, "Listen, Chase, I am going to my room. I'm feeling awful."

"Let me come with you, then." Chase started to get up.

"No, you stay and enjoy yourself. Catch up with everyone else." She put her hand on his shoulder.

"I don't like leaving you alone when you're like this." Chase kissed her forehead.

"I am a big girl, I promise I will be fine. I just don't have the heart for this anymore."

She wrapped her arms around his waist, pushing her face into his chest and breathing deeply, "I will talk to you on the morrow."

"Okay, if you're sure. I'll meet you for breakfast."

She managed a smile, "I love you."

Chase pulled her tighter to him, "Love you too, babe."

Her room, thankfully, didn't make her uneasy. She changed into a long nightgown, brushed her teeth and drank at least three glasses of water before she retired under the covers of her bed. She knew she would pay for the water in the middle of the night but it had made her feel so much better. At least until the words of that psychic returned to her and she lay there staring at the clock as the green numbers changed again and again. It wasn't the fact that Chris was indeed gone, though her heart broke every time she thought of him. Not the fear that he was here with her. It was the dream, the room she'd seen herself in with her father. He had seen it, the psychic had seen it in the very least, and the warning Chris had sent her. The room was real, avoid it at all costs.


	39. Chapter 39

"Sir, we're here."

David sat up with a start as they passed under the large stone arch with the black metal letters across it reading "Forest Hill". He stretched, settled back into the seat again. It had begun to sleet. "Rotten weather for the first week in November."

"It is these days. I recall when I was a boy, we would have had snow up to our waists by Thanksgiving. Now, we're lucky if we get a white Chrismas."

David nodded, "Harry, the times they are a changin'." He glanced at the tablet in his lap. Nearly seven thirty in the morning. He had some time before the board meeting to visit his projects though they might not be awake yet. Sometimes that was the way to go.

The psychiatric hospital had grown from the days when he had found it as a relic, the state ready to close its doors for a hundred reasons. He had brought in cutting edge technology, wooed some of the top therapists and psychiatrists in the country to join him in a new facility that hadn't even been realized at that time. He had taken a large chunk of his own money, much to Annie's irritation and put it forward to start renovations on the one-hundred plus year old complex. He'd had the rooms renovated in the subterranean basement for research and development. An eighty bed unit remodeled and updated to include ten more rooms for meetings, therapy sessions, family visits, and when the money started to dry up, he knew it was time to collect on the favors he'd provided for people. Within a year, the facility was ready to open back up with the approval of the state. It was fully staffed, with its own security force, nurses, doctors and in today's society, no end of patients.

He stepped out of the car under the cover of the car port at the entrance and trotted up the steps. As soon as he was through the front door, he was being hailed by the main desk receptionist. As he stopped to speak with her, he was cornered by Doctor Egan who was joined by the third floor supervisor, Mister Allen. By the time he had addressed their issues and was able to reach his office on the fourth floor, half an hour had been eaten up. He knew it would take half the morning to go through his emails and messages, and what with the meeting, he didn't even bother to start his computer. He simply shed his coat, draping it over his chair, dropped his briefcase onto his desk, so eager was he to visit his special project.

He was in the process of locking the door to his office when he head a voice behind him. "Welcome back, Director."

It was Julia, his secretary, "I didn't expect you in this early today."

David grinned, "I've been gone for two weeks. I've got a lot to catch up on."

She stepped behind her desk as she removed her coat, then flipped open the appointment book before her, "I would say emphatically, yes."

"Well then," He straightened his tie, "I'd better get started."

He was in the doorway, one foot in the hallway when Julia spoke up again, "Oh, Chase called a couple of days ago. He asked to be wired some money for a school trip. As per your instructions I wired him one hundred dollars."

"What kind of trip was this?"

She turned a couple pages back into the book, "Um, the Museum of Natural History?"

"A day trip then, that's fine. Good job. I have that board meeting today at nine. Hold my calls until after lunch."

Julia was scribbling his instructions on a small yellow notepad, "Will do."

He gave her a wink and was out the door.

It was nearly eight-fifteen when the elevator door slid open to reveal the stark light blue walls of the small research and development waiting room. Along the wall across the way were five plastic chairs in orange and light green, holdovers from the sixties. In between them was a short wooden table holding a stack of out of date magazines. This floor received few visitors. The majority of the patients in his special projects unit had no family to speak of, many of them wards of the state that had been here when he'd taken over the facility years ago. Such was the case with his star patient.

He looked to his left at the glass walled cubicle that constituted the reception desk. As he approached, he could see inside, two men, Leon, the security guard and the day receptionist, Bill. They were staring at a computer screen, one sitting, one standing, their backs turned to him, laughing. He was unable to see what they were watching and so he stood there, waiting for one of them to turn around. Eventually Leon glanced over at the window and put his hand on top of his flaming orange hair which was as red as his face which fell as David waved at him.

He reached over and punched Bill in the arm. Bill was a small, middle-aged man with a sallow complexion, a large bald spot and glasses double thick perched on his nose. In comparison, Leon, with his barrel chest and small thin Bill brought to mind Laurel and Hardy.

"Jesus," Bill swore, "The fuck you do that for?" as he swiveled around in the chair and caught sight of David. He jumped up from the chair, "Director, I am so sorry."

David tried to swallow his impatience, "That's fine, you weren't expecting me."

Bill shook his head vigorously as he reached under the counter below the window. A click and a buzz and the door to his right was being opened by Leon who ushered him in. Bill had moved to the inner counter inside the door and was now handing David a clipboard with a full sheaf of papers attached to it.

"Welcome back, sir."

David flipped through some of the papers until he found what he was looking for, "Thanks, Bill. It's good to be back." He tapped the clipboard on the counter and headed down the hallway towards a second door at the far end. Built into the wall beside that door was another booth. This one was manned only by one guard which was all it needed as he noticed David and stood up, the chair he'd been sitting in groaning in relief. Leroy was Leon's twin brother and he filled the window of the cubicle, his arms crossed, a smile on his face, same shock of red hair but cut much closer in a buzz. David had picked them both for the project on their size alone. When he had deigned to let the security supervisor interview for these positions down in R & D, the twins had immediately caught his attention.

Leroy in particular, had wedged himself into the chair before David's desk and sat with his arms crossed the same way he stood now. David had thrown out a question, pointing with his pen at Leroy's hair, "Irish?"

Leroy had laughed, a hearty snort at the end, "Scottish. My brother and I, we go to the Highland games every summer up north. I hold the current record in the caber toss."

He'd had to look up the phrase online. He found it was the equivalent of taking a telephone pole and flipping it over end as far as possible, and in a kilt. He had given Leroy's credentials a preliminary look and hired him on the spot. His brother had come along a month later but in his estimation, Leroy was the more serious, the more dedicated of the two.

"Director." Leroy nodded and buzzed David through the door.

"How has she been?" David had folded the sheets over the edge of the clipboard.

"She had a couple...episodes. Doctor Egan was on it. He thought we should try other options."

David gritted his teeth together, "Damn it, without my approval."

Leroy shrugged, "Hey he's my boss too. I brought it up to him and he said you had left him in charge down here. He said he was just going to play around with some dosages."

Now he wished he had told Tom just where to get off earlier when he'd come to him whining about his case load for the month.

"Okay, it's not your fault. Just keep doing what you're doing."

He hurried down the hall toward suite one twenty-two where Jesse resided. She had been at Forest Hill since she was eight years old. Her parents had given up parental rights when she'd been diagnosed sociopathic. With nowhere to go at such a tender age, she had been kept there in the wards. She had grown, matured under David's watchful eye and he had made her his special interest. He had spent endless hours talking to her, written extensive papers on her behavior. He had tried environmental controls, homeopathic alternatives. He had bordered on the illegal, acquiring medicines that hadn't met FDA approval. Nothing seemed to make much of a difference for long.

It would have been easy to simply put her in one of the wards, let her live out her days in a structured environment and indeed he had tried it when she turned fourteen, against the advice of the nurses who had been there for years. They had been adamant that she stay isolated and he didn't disagree that they'd had good reason. Jessica North was a lovely child. Had she been able to function in society safely, she could have been a model with her lithe form, large green eyes, russet curly hair and sweetheart face and it only worsened as she matured.

When she'd been allowed to enter one of the wards and stay with other patients, she began to use her powers of manipulation and persuasion to get her own way. Soon even the oldest nurse on the ward was catering to her, bringing her candy bars which she was rarely allowed. She controlled what the ward watched on the big television. She would beg the orderlies to let her watch reality shows which were her favorite, especially the ones like Jersey Shore and Big Brother, chock full of manipulative behavior, lying, cheating. For her, David imagined, it must have seemed as educational television. It was one thing he eliminated when he returned her to the special projects area. She would use the other patients based on what they had or what they could do for her.

The final straw had come when one of the night nurses had found her in one of the empty ward rooms with a young, handsome orderly who had thought he'd locked the door. They'd strewn their clothes about the room in their haste and she was riding him hard. They might have even gotten away with it had she not been highly vocal about their coupling.

David had been called, racing to the facility in the middle of the night where he fired the orderly on the spot, informing him that he was extremely lucky that the cops weren't going to be involved seeing as it had been a case of statutory rape. He then escorted Jesse personally to her present quarters, explaining to her that her behavior had been deplorable. She had cried and begged not to be isolated, had even tried to turn her charm on him. Unbeknownst to her, she had charmed him long ago, however, he was firm. Now she was on a tight schedule, her meals at certain times with a closely monitored dietary schedule. Television shows had to be approved before she could watch them as did books. She would get two hours of supervised exercise either in the gymnasium on the second floor or in the enclosed yard in better weather. She had medicines in the morning and at night. Every week he would look for signs that she was improving, observe her actions, ask questions geared towards gauging her progress. Now at twenty-three years old, she was possibly the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, one he hoped to find a cure for.

He approached the door to suite one twenty-two. Beside the door was a panel with a small tv screen built into it. He pressed the button, "Jesse?"

The screen jumped to life, showing a young woman sitting cross legged on the floor in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt watching TV. "What?" She didn't turn around, kept watching.

"It's Doctor Wells, may I come in?"

"Yeah."

He held up his badge, the door beeped and slid open and he stepped inside.

"Where've you been?" She would still not look at him.

"I was at a convention in Washington D.C." He sat down in the easy chair directly behind her, took out his pen.

"What was it about?"

"My job."

This time she peered over her shoulder with those fetching green eyes, "You promised me you would take me outside again. That was a month ago."

David nodded, "I said I would consider it if you promised not to disappear on me like you did last time."

Her apathetic expression never wavered, "I said I was sorry, something distracted me."

He stared at her, distraction was a poor word to describe how they had finally found her when he had agreed to let her accompany him to the city one day. It had been himself, Leroy, and Jesse. He had been to a meeting, leaving her in Leroy's care which he'd managed quite well, at the end of the meeting, his colleagues had wanted to see her, asking her questions, discussing her answers. David had promised her lunch afterward.

When they had exited the building on 23rd street however, she'd slipped into the crowd in seconds. They had run in all directions, shouting her name, scanning the busy summer city sidewalks until at the last possible moment, Leroy had spotted her. He sprinted as hard as he could, his size clearing a path for him, latching onto Jesse's arm as her foot touched the door frame of the yellow cab which had stopped when she hailed it. He had bodily lifted her struggling form and carried her back to David. Needless to say, they had headed out of the city, stopping at a fast food restaurant on the way home.

She rose from the floor, walked over and flopped on her bed. He looked about the room where she had plastered pictures torn from the magazines she was allowed to read; she wasn't allowed scissors. Some of them made sense, boys, men, even women. Others, news pictures of explosions, knives, guns. Still more, beautiful tables set for a lavish meal, pictures of recipes, pretty dresses. Her mind seemed to wander in a thousand different directions at any given time. Seeing his attention drawn to the walls, she pointed upwards with her fingers. "I need more tape."

"I will see to it you get tape. Leroy said you had a couple episodes while I was gone, what happened?"

She turned her head to the side and stared at him, "I would ask Doc Egan, what a little prick he is."

David tapped the clipboard with his pen, "Leroy's idea of episodes are usually violent." He scanned the room for any new nicks or dings in the walls. "Episodes like that?"

She smiled, "Ask Doc Egan about his leg."

David thought back to when Tom had come striding across the reception area at him, recalling a slight limp that he'd neglected to ask him about.

"Alright then." he scribbled out the medicines listed on the chart in Tom's tight scrawl, noting the time on his watch. Eight-forty. He was going to have to get upstairs and gather his material for the board meeting soon.

"Okay let's get down to business. Spirits today?"

She giggled, "Oh you know they don't let us drink here."

David sighed, "You know what I mean Jesse. How are your spirits? How do you feel?"

"With my hands." more laughter, she kicked her feet on the mattress.

David folded the papers back over the clipboard, she was obviously in one of her moods, "Okay we'll try this later Jesse, I have a meeting to..."

She was off the bed in an instant and on his lap with her arms around his neck, "Don't go, don't leave me alone today. I'll answer all your questions, I promise." The last sentence was delivered as a whisper in his ear and he nearly stood from the chair.

"Jesse, what did I say about patient doctor relationships?"

"That there aren't enough of them?" delivered with that same whisper and he began to sweat, blood racing to do his bidding unawares. He had to get her off his lap soon.

"That we maintain a distance, conduct ourselves professionally."

Jesse flipped one leg around and was now straddling him, "I'm not a pro yet though I'm sure you could teach me how to conduct myself." She ground against him once, twice and this time he did stand, tumbling her to the floor with a screech.

"Don't go, I missed you!" She was up, wrapping her arms about his neck, the clipboard clattering to the floor.

"If you don't stop this, the next visit I make will include Leroy." He removed her arms to see tears shining in her eyes, had to remind himself that she was a consummate actress.

"Will you be back to talk to me later? I promise I'll behave myself then. I've just been so godawful bored. Lonely. Even Leon doesn't talk to me anymore."

"I gave him orders not to." He bent over and picked up the clipboard. "He's not as quick witted as his brother but he's a good guard and he'd be no match for you."

She grinned again, "I'd swallow him whole."

David rubbed his temples, "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that. I will speak with you later."

He buzzed himself out of the room and closed the door, turning around to look once more at the monitor. Jesse stared at the door for a moment longer, her face impassive, then turned and sat down on the floor in the same position he'd found her, eyes glued to the TV.

On the ride up to his office, he fought with himself as he did after each meeting. She was crazy, she was, psycopathic, apathetic. But she was gorgeous, smart, sexy, funny at times when he was receptive to her humor and he wanted her more than any woman he'd ever met. Annie had been somber, lacking passion in much of her life save the mutant cause. There she had campaigned tirelessly for mutant rights and an end to discrimination. It left nothing for the bedroom. David had vowed to find a cure for Jesse. A way to make her...and he hated to use the word, after all there were so many interpretations...normal. Only then, when he succeeded would he take her from this hospital to someplace far afield. Only then would he endeavor to make her his. Until such time, though, he would keep her safe from herself, safe from others. He laughed to himself, keep others safe from her.

He stepped from the elevator still laughing and Julia looked up, "Having a good day already?"

"Define good." he unlocked his office door, "I'm on my way out to my meeting. Ask me the same question later."


	40. Chapter 40

Winternights had passed unnoticed, it having been only a few days hence since they had lain Chris in the ground beside Silas's grave and the household felt ill inclined to participate. Even Fen expressed little interest though Helgi did take him to the village for the evening to see Ren and join in the feasting and the celebration.

The month of Frer-mánuðr was young when one morning, Loki was awakened by a pounding at the door. He sat up in bed, looking down at Eidra who was staring in the dim light at the bedroom door then back to him. "Who in Odin's beard is here?"

Loki crept over her, trying not to wake Cait as he slipped out of the bedchamber and reached the front door. He could see the reflection of torches in the windows on either side and he glanced over at his short sword hanging on a peg feet from him. He swung open the door, ready to snatch it out of its scabbard until he saw Thor's great bulk filling the doorway. "Brother? I expected you to be up at this hour."

Loki closed his eyes, rubbed them, "Thor, it is not quite time, the cows are on a schedule." He peeked behind Thor where a few men sat on their horses in the dooryard. He could see the white fog drifting from their noses and mouths, the self same air drifting into the cottage. "Well what is it you want then, out with it."

Thor gestured, "Might I come inside?"

Loki turned his head to see Eidra standing in the doorway of the bedchamber with a lantern. "As you wish."

He smiled then, handed the torch in his hand to one of the men on horseback and said, "I shall be out shortly."

Eidra had moved to the hearth, stoking the fire and adding kindling.

"So what is it so important that you see fit to wake me up before the cock crows?"

Thor took hm by the shoulder, "Brother, you must come with me for the hunt."

Eidra paused, a piece of wood in her hand. She seemed about to say something but a whimper that soon built into a wail, cut her short. She hurried into the bedchamber to fetch Cait.

"I have chores to do." Loki sat down in a rocking chair.

"Have the women do them. Surely they know how. Wake Fen and bring him on a real hunt."

Thor started for Fen's room but Loki leaped from the chair and took him by the arm, "Let him sleep, he has been plagued by bad dreams as of late."

Thor stopped and gave Loki a curious look, "What troubles him?"

"Our friend, Christopher passed on two weeks ago and the boy has had a time of it."

"Your house guest? My condolences. Perhaps this is just what the boy needs." He started for the bedchamber again but Loki was firm.

"No!"

Thor turned to him, "Very well then, will you at least accompany us? We share the spoils and fresh meat in the storehouse guards against starvation."

Loki frowned, "My storehouse is stocked well."

Eidra had returned with Cait who was rubbing her face against Eidra's chin.

"Come Loki, you do not venture out anymore. I sent you a message by courier, inviting you to Winternights in Asgard but you never responded. You have not brought the littlest princess to be recognized as of yet and she is now?"

"Three moons." Eidra murmured, kissing Cait's forehead.

"Truly? This must be remedied. Come with me for the hunt. We will talk."

Loki gazed about the room, from the moment he'd opened the door to see Thor standing there, he'd felt an odd sense of relief, as if the plague of loneliness had lifted. Chris's absence had left a gaping hole within him. Thor's appearance, however grudgingly he might admit it, was a welcome respite. He was beginning to feel outnumbered in a house full of women.

"Uncle Thor?" Fen had appeared in the doorway of his bedchamber.

Thor grinned broadly, "The little prince."

"Why?" Loki groaned as Fen ran to Thor, stopped and bowed.

"Your Majesty."

Thor scooped him up, "Your Highness." and set him down again. "What say you brother? Will you go with us?"

Loki looked to Eidra who was bouncing the baby in her arms. She pursed her lips together and dropped her eyes to the floor but said nothing.

"Will we return before sundown?"

Thor threw his arms in the air, "Yes of course, now go dress yourself so that we may be off. The day grows older while we stand here at idle chatter."

He headed into the bedchamber to change. By the time he was reaching for his boots, he was giddy with excitement.

When he re-emerged, Eidra was sitting in the rocking chair nursing Cait. Thor was bent over talking to Fen.

"Papa, can I go with you?"

"No." Loki grabbed his cloak, "You must stay here today and help your mother with chores."

Fen's face fell, "But Papa..."

Loki lifted his crossbow from its place by the hearth, "There will be other hunts."

He knew Eidra was staring at him, could feel her gaze as if it were a palpable thing.

Thor was at once taking his arm, "Let us ride!" and pulling him towards the door but he shook him off, "Hold, you oaf!"

He knelt down before Eidra, "I shant be overlong."

She had seemed piqued when he approached her but when she saw how eager he was, how his face had lit up at the prospect of the hunt, she put a hand to his cheek and pulled his face to hers where she brushed a sweet kiss across his lips, "We will manage here, go and join them and think no more about it."

His smile made her heart sing. He turned to Fen, "You will accompany me next time. I promise. Be a good boy and obey your mother."

Thor bowed to Eidra and Fen and followed Loki out the door into the early morning.

He could tell Blackberry had been needing the chance to stretch her legs, to run, and he gave her full rein as they galloped across the forest floor until they found a clearing. They tied off their horses and broke into pairs. Loki was to accompany Thor, the others splitting accordingly.

Loki followed Thor into the woods, it was an area unfamiliar to him so he let Thor lead the way until they came to an outcrop of rocks along a well worn trail. The gray dawn threatened snow and they hunkered down under the largest rock to wait and watch the run a few yards distant.

"I keep to my own land when I hunt. We could have gone there."

Thor shook his head, "The owner of this land owes a favor to the kingdom. I told him I would take it in game. There is a fine herd runs through this forest."

They were silent for a while, listening to the birds calling welcome to the day until Thor cast a glance at Loki who took note of him with a raised eyebrow, "Yes?"

"My reason for asking you along was twofold." Thor kicked the leaves on the forest floor with his boot, "I need your advice."

"The King of Asgard wishes to consult one of his subjects?" Loki leaned back against the rock, adjusting for the uneven surface.

"The King wishes to speak with his brother, the prince regent."

"No longer, I am but..."

Thor pounded the ground with his fist, "You are the prince regent. I will brook no more discourse on that. Your children are princes and princesses of the realm despite what you tell them. In my stead, you would be king."

Loki frowned, "Your son is first in line."

"Which brings me to my dilemma. Sif cleaves unto another."

Loki sat up, "Oh? How know you this?"

Thor's stare was hard, "I have seen them, and I have..." He swallowed, "Heard them."

Loki picked up his crossbow and sighted along it, "What have you heard?"

Thor was on his feet then, pacing, "I have heard them whispering words of endearment, love to one another. I have..." He stopped, his hand on the rock beside them, "heard them speak of their son."

"She has had another? I did not know."

"Lóriði, she speaks of Lóriði!"

Loki put a finger to his lips, "Brother, the woods carry sound far. Whatever can you do to prove the truth of this?"

Thor smiled but there was no humor in it, "Indeed, I asked this of Stark upon my last visit. He told me what I could do to determine such a thing."

Loki stood now, "What?"

Thor grabbed him by the shoulders, "You take the blood of the child and with the magic the Midgardians wield, they can tell whether the offspring be yours."

Loki had never seen Thor in such a state, laying a gentle hand on Thor's shoulder in turn. "And did you do this?"

Thor nodded but Loki didn't need to hear his response to know the answer, "I did, I pricked my son's finger, took a tiny vial of his blood and brought it to Stark. Within half a day he had the answer for me. I am not his father."

"Who infiltrates the King's bedchamber?"

"Magnus."

Loki stepped back. Magnus? The bold, brave, loyal warrior? "Thor, are you quite sure?"

"I saw it with my own eyes, heard them." he growled. "I have not the slightest inkling what to do. Should I banish him? Banish them both?"

Thor slumped back down to the ground, Loki followed, facing him now. "Were it me, I would be inclined to run him through with my sword."

"I cannot deprive the kingdom of one of its most beloved warriors. Nor can I deprive them of a queen and an heir unless I were to have another but I cannot bear to touch her now. My flesh crawls when she merely touches my hand. I think she suspects I know of her indiscretions for she has made no further attempts to try me."

Loki ran his hands through his hair and in doing so, brought it to Thor's attention, "Brother, you have cut your hair?"

"In mourning again, yes."

"For your friend?" Thor reached over and gave his raven locks a playful tug.

"Yes, he well deserved such from me. What now do you think to do about her?"

Thor crossed his arms over his stomach, "I know not what to do."

"Do you wish for her to return to you?"

"No." there was no hesitation, to Loki's surprise.

"And you do not wish to cast her out."

In this answer there was hesitation but the outcome was still the same, "No."

"Then you are held in thrall. What is it you do want?"

Thor turned to him, anguish clearly written on his face, "I want your life."

Loki tilted his head, "What?"

"I want what you have. I wish for a wife who looks with love upon me when I enter the room like Eidra does with you. A woman who will keep by my side, willingly bear my children, care for me."

Loki was stunned, perhaps a bit validated in his love for Eidra. Could Thor now ken why he had done what he'd done?

"You seek love and affection. Take a mistress."

Thor sighed, "I could have any number of mistresses but none my equal. Servants.."

Loki grunted but Thor kept on, "Ladies in waiting, I languish on my throne without a true heir save you and yours."

"And that is so terrible?"

"You miss my meaning."

Loki looked down at the forest floor, "What of that Midgardian woman, Foster was it? I recall at one time you were quite serious about her."

Thor's grip on his bow tightened, "When I took on the mantle of the throne, I was made to decide where my loyalties lay otherwise I could not rule."

"And Father made you choose."

Thor hung his head, "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few...or the one. I learned this on Midgard and it has stayed with me like a yoke about my neck."

"Seek this Foster woman out again."

"I cannot break my promise to the Allfather."

"Why?" Loki nudged him with his boot. "Are you not the King?"

Thor tossed a stone into the woods.

"Listen, I too have a question for you. Eidra has asked that we visit Brenna near Jul. I would need you to escort us if you may. At that time, why do you not re-establish a connection with Miss Foster?"

"I do not know whether she has found another. I do not even know where she resides."

"Does it matter? You are Thor, do not all women tremble at your touch?"

Thor smiled, "Oh now you are being facetious, dear brother."

Loki returned the smile but his words were sincere, "I speak the truth. We will visit Brenna, you will seek out your mortal queen."

Thor's face fell, "What of my son then? He is not of my blood. What should I do?"

Loki peered into the woods, looking for movement, "Ask Father, he would tell you how to raise the son of an enemy."

"Loki."

He looked at Thor, unwilling to reopen old wounds at this time, "Care for him. Be his father as you have since birth. When he is of age, he will swear loyalty to you in return for your attention to him."

Thor put his hand on Loki's arm, "You are wise. Were it that I could convince you to return to Asgard to advise me."

Loki chewed his lip, "I might be open to one visit a month. I would have to discuss it with Eidra."

"Only one! It would take more than one visit to address the trials and tribulations of running a kingdom."

"Nevertheless, it is all I can offer. I have a farm to run, a family to feed."

"You have but to ask.." Thor countered.

"On my own. Now let us turn our attention to our quarry lest we come home empty handed and she thinks me idle."

"Of course! Aha, brother, I am indeed happy to have you at my side again!" Thor cried clapping him on the back.

"Until I take down the larger game, then you shall wish me home with all haste."

Thor chuckled scanning the woods before him. "Not a chance."

The sun was touching the horizon when Loki slid the buck off the makeshift travois behind Blackberry. Fen had been watching for them and so was at their heels as they made the dooryard. "Papa, you have a stag!"

"Have you been good?" He patted Fen's head as he wrapped himself about his legs.

"I have."

Thor trotted up to Loki, "Brother, I hope to see you before Jul in any case. I will inform Fury that you will be visiting with me."

"Visiting, Papa? Where are we going?"

Loki continued to tie the rope he'd taken off Blackberry to the pole jutting between the buck's hind legs in preparation to hang it from the tree before him in the dooryard, "We will visit your sister near Jul. You will get to see Midgard."

Fen let out a screech so loud it brought Eidra to the door with Cait in her arms, "The gods wept! What is wrong?"

She raced to where Loki knelt on the ground with the buck, looking from him to Thor as Fen ran around her in circles, "Loki?"

"Mama, Mama, we are going to Midgard! We are going to see Brenna for Jul!" He took hold of her skirts shaking them for emphasis with each word, "We..are...going...to...Midgard!"

Eidra caught Loki's eye and he gave her a sheepish grin, "We will hear no end of it until then, you know this."

She brushed her leg against his side and smiled down at him.

"Are you sure you will not camp here for the night, brother?"

Thor shook his head, "We will start for Asgard. I dislike being too long away. It gives others to thinking they have time to play. Farewell. I will look for you soon." with a wave, they were headed down the road out of Rialo.

Loki stood, tossing the rope over the thickest branch towards the bottom, catching the end as it dropped over the other side.

"You did not say you were going to ask him about Jul." Eidra cooed in his ear, sending shivers up his spine.

"We all miss Brenna, besides, how could I say no to my heart?"

"You miss her too, do not play so serious."

He started to pull the buck up, grunting with the effort seeing Fen trying to lift the buck up, "Fen, step away from him. I have it."

Finally he was able to tie the rope around the tree, satisfied the game was high enough off the ground. They headed into the cottage as the last light left the sky and snowflakes began to dot the air.

At the evening meal, Fen could not stop talking about the trip.

"Helgi, I cannot wait to go, can you!" Fen was almost standing on his chair.

"Fen sit down properly and eat." Loki admonished him.

"Poppet, I am not going with you." Helgi laughed.

"Yes you are." Loki countered, suppressing a giggle as Helgi dropped her spoon.

"What? Surely you jest."

Eidra kicked Loki under the table but he kept on, "Why no. Brenna will wish to see you as much as you wish to see her. You do, do you not?"

"Well of course I do." Helgi put her hand to her mouth, "But Midgard. I tremble at the mere thought."

"It is not as bad as you believe. I am looking forward to it." Eidra was in fact looking forward to seeing Lily again. Loki had said they would have to arrive at S.H.I.E.L.D before they could go to the school. She had been using the yarn all along, making a bed cover with some of the larger skeins and she was also eager to see what Lily had found to work on. She hated to admit that she was nearly as excited as her seven seasons old son but there it was.

"Oh Eidra, I shall need a posset to calm my nerves before the trip."

"We've a moon to go. No need to fret now. I told Thor to inform Brenna the next time he was on Midgard that we would visit so that she would know we were coming."

"Midgard, oh dear, what next, the moon?" Helgi put her hands to her cheeks and shook her head. "I am too old for this."


	41. Chapter 41

Chase was taken with the way Brenna had leaned back her face upward to the vaulted ceiling, mouth open in a great O. "And these creatures roamed the earth?"

Chase surveyed the Brachiosaurus skeleton, "Yeah they did. Cool, huh?"

"Can you imagine having one of them coming at you? Scary shit." Brian elbowed her.

She nodded and was about to reply when Miss Munro caught their attention and held up a finger to silence them.

Everywhere she looked, there were things to see. She couldn't take it all in at once. She hadn't known such large animals existed until she began to study science. She was beginning to see how vast the world was beyond Asgard. She had tried to listen to the tour guide but from the minute she walked into the museum, she heard maybe half of what the guide said.

As they wandered the museum, she was at first startled by the stuffed and mounted animals. The African elephants, the Kodiak bear, gorilla, lion, they all seemed so real.

"Our next stop will be the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life." The tour guide said as she waved the students along.

"Wait till you see this." Chase put a hand at the small of her back and guided her along. As they walked into the hall on the ground floor, Chase laughed as her previous expression returned and the tour guide started to talk about the massive creature hanging above them.

"A blue whale," Brenna whispered, "How did they get such a huge thing to hang in the air like that?"

"Wires, it's not as heavy as a real whale."

"And you say Midgardians possess no magic."

At the end of the lecture, Miss Munro gathered the group together, "We're going to break for lunch here in Milstein Hall so find a spot to sit. I'm giving you half an hour."

They scattered the floor below the whale and started taking their lunches from their backpacks. Brenna unwrapped her sandwich with a chuckle, "Is the irony lost on everyone but me that I am eating a tuna fish sandwich in the hall of ocean life?"

Brian held his sandwich up, "Good old PB and J. I can see that whale giving you the stink eye, Bren."

"Oh hey, guess what?" Rachel piped up, "I talked to my mother, they're bringing me home for Thanksgiving."

When Brenna had read about Thanksgiving, she had been heartened by the camaraderie and the exchange of friendship by the players in the story. She had since been considering what she had to be thankful for herself.

"Sound like a scene from "A Christmas Carol"." Brian took Rachel's hand, "You gonna tell your parents about us?"

Rachel shrugged, "Is it any of their business?"

Brian tugged her closer, "I guess not, just I don't want them to get all uppity about us."

"Why should it matter?" Brenna was staring at them, "Do they arrange marriages here as well?"

"Naw, that went out a few hundred years ago. It's just parents get funny sometimes.'

Rachel nodded, "Especially mine. They're pretty prominent in their community. I haven't been home since last Christmas."

"That's a long time to be from your family." Brenna saw Chase break into a sad smile.

"It's been about the same time for me. I haven't seen my father since last Christmas either."

Brenna slid closer to him, "And I think that's deplorable."

Sophie took a bottle of water from her pack and unscrewed it, "When do you think you'll see your family next, Bren?"

"I do not know. I suppose when they choose to visit." She took another bite of her sandwich, hoping they would change their tack but Brian spoke up.

"They probably gots to get permission seeing who's your father and all."

Brenna sighed, dropping the last few bites of her sandwich in her baggie. Chase eyed Brian with a quick shake to the head.

"He has to report to the man they call Fury before he can go anywhere in the city, it is silly. They do not trust him."

"Why you call it silly? Would you trust a man who broke...the fuck man!"

Chase had punched him hard in the arm. The group had gone silent until Brenna muttered, "Does everyone believe what has been said about my father?"

No one said anything for the longest time until Rachel sat forward, her eyes trained on the floor, "It's sorta the general consensus, yeah. I mean we weren't there to see it but, you know it don't matter, right? We're your friends. It don't matter what your father did.."

"Do you not see!" Brenna cried, she was on her feet now, "He could not have done what he is accused of!" She thought back on their trip to the hospital to help Cait. How Chase had remarked upon the security surrounding the room and she felt like crying, unable to stop herself from shouting out her anger.

"How can you accuse a prince of the realm of such atrocities? What reason would he have to do such terrible things?"

She felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned around to see Miss Munro, "Brenna, is everything okay?"

She was trembling, her mouth felt glued shut as Miss Munro led her to a quiet corner beside a glassed in window depicting what the sign below read was a squid.

"What happened in there?" Miss Munro was rubbing her shoulders, "I hope you were practicing for drama club."

Brenna shook her head, "Miss Munro, I do not know. What do I believe? That my father is a monster? It is too horrible even to think upon."

Ororo sighed, "Remember when we talked about this before?"

Brenna drew a hitching breath, nodded, "You said to talk with my father. Ask him the questions I have."

"It's the only way you're going to get the truth. Making a scene in the middle of the museum isn't going to solve anything, and it won't get you answers either."

After a few minutes, Brenna returned to the group and sat down. When Chase started to talk to her, she held up her hand, "Shh."

"Okay then." Chase trained his attention back to his lunch as Brenna pulled out an orange and began to peel it. She remained quiet for the rest of the day until they boarded the bus back to the school and Chase settled in beside her.

"Better?" he eased a hand over hers.

She looked out the window at the city, "I am sorry for today, Chase."

"Don't mention it. You're alright."

She curled beneath his arm, "I am when I am with you."

The harder thing was convincing herself what she believed was indeed true.

The high pitched note brought his head off the pillow. He looked about the bedroom, the light streaming in through the window had changed. He swung his legs over the floor and sat up, cursing. He hadn't meant to fall asleep for so long. He rubbed his face and winced as another warble drifted up to him from the first floor then leaned over and peered down the iron heating grate beside the bed. He could see Anna in the laundry room folding towels and singing, he could swear, the national anthem of the United States yet again.

He ran his hand through his thinning hair. Why on earth had he brought that CD back with him? Couldn't he have simply stopped at the miniature replica of the White House and the tour book? He rose from the bed and stretched, shoved his feet into his old leather slippers and headed out of the bedroom. By the time he had made the top landing of the staircase, he could hear her launch into a rendition of "God save the Queen." At least she'd switched back to her own country. Being that it was a large house and as he reached the first floor he could hear her loud and clear, it was a pity she didn't make up in quality what she delivered in quantity.

He saw she had her back turned to him, another towel in her hand and so thought to have a bit of fun, waiting until she'd started yet another anthem; where was she drawing them from? Before he spoke, "Anna?"

She threw the towel across the laundry room with a scream and a hopping dance which nearly bent Martin double. "Oh Martin, I thought you were still napping. Dear god!" She had one hand over her heart one on her hip.

"Not at all, in fact I dreamed I was being serenaded by a lovely fairy." He had his hands in his pockets waiting for the remark to sink in, knowing it likely wouldn't and when she canted her head to the side, "What a curious dream." He pointed upwards to the iron grate with a grin. She followed his lead.

"Martin, I'm terribly sorry. I woke you up didn't I, what with my caterwauling."

"Nothing to fret about, dearest. I shouldn't have slept as long as I did." He reached for a towel and began to help her fold though she tried to protest. "Anthems is it now?" He set a folded towel on the small table between the washer and dryer, grabbing another one from the basket on the floor.

"Ever since you brought me back that CD of patriotic songs, I can't get them out of my head. I've added a new item to me bucket list now."

He waited as she rarely needed encouragement to continue.

"I want to hear the U.S. National anthem sung in person."

There it was.

"Very well then, I'll telephone Father Miller and see if he can't fit it into the hymnals this Sunday."

She threw a towel at him with a snort, "Silly, I mean in the states. I want to take a holiday to America."

"We only just returned from Venice. You've been all over Europe. Really my pet, after all that culture, wouldn't the states be rather a letdown?"

She set another towel on the stack and snatched the next one before he could reach it.

"Martin, how can I do the wash if you won't let me, now I know we've gone on many holidays but how could I call myself well rounded without seeing America at least once?"

Perhaps it was irrational, but there was the fear that she would be drawn in by the fast paced lifestyle in the states, the opportunities, the sights. She was such a simple, kind, loving woman and he wanted to keep her uncorrupted. He'd come close to offering her the trip of a lifetime in fact, to his homeland Alfheim, just to draw her attention away but he wasn't sure her fragile mind could absorb such a revelation that her employer, her lover, was from an entirely different world. A different postal code was a stretch for her.

He'd kept his secret from her all these years, in the beginning so as not to frighten her away because he desperately needed a housekeeper, later on for the same reason on a much more personal level. It was another such reason he wished to keep her far from the states. There was a man who knew what he was and every time he visited overseas, David seemed to look him up. In his opinion ,from his last meeting at the convention, David had gone round the bend as of late.

When he had showed up at Martin's hotel door after his lecture, he'd seemed genuinely happy to see him but Martin, ever on his guard, listened to him with growing concern. He'd become obsessed with one of his long time patients at the psychiatric hospital where he was director. He talked of finding a cure for her condition, the treatments he'd tried, the environmental controls he'd imposed on her but as David described her behavior, Martin wondered if there was something much deeper going on between them.

"David, there is no cure. We can give them anti-psychotics but once you take them away, the brain will function as it did before and if as you say, even they make no difference, she will never be able to live outside an institution."

"That's where you're wrong, I am going to find a way to cure her if it takes the rest of my career. "David, you've not violated the patient doctor relationship have you?" Martin had asked when David then proceeded to produce a picture of Jesse who had turned out to be a beautiful woman with a vacant look in her eyes.

Martin had done studies of situations where psychiatrists had become patients themselves after dealing with psychosis's year after year. He was pretty certain David, however brilliant he was, had begun that same downward spiral. He had stressed only a clinical interest in Jesse, insisting he wanted to ease the suffering of the mentally ill but Martin could see his actions were those of a man in far deeper than he was letting on. Martin had considered alerting the AMA to a possible problem but he wanted to distance himself from the whole situation and this meant simply leaving it alone.

"Anna, listen, perhaps next year we will plan a getaway but why don't we consider the west coast? California, or the Grand Canyon, there's a wonder of the world. Las Vegas?"

She shook her head, stacking the folded towels into the now empty basket, "I want to see the Capital of The United States, the Big Apple, Boston." She lifted the basket, paused, "But L.A is chock a block full of movie stars, California, hmm?"

As far away from the east coast as possible, unless he included Alaska.

"We'll see. You indulge me too much, Martin."

"Payment for your years of loyal service."

She laughed, that endearing, maddening snort, "You've already paid me far more than I deserve."

"Well then I shall get a head start on your future."

He watched her waltz down the hall with the basket, giggling as she went and he smiled to himself. Now to start researching resorts in California.

He was facing a door made of metal. His arms were pulled behind his back, he could feel the bite of the constraints at his wrists. Why couldn't he break them? There was a voice in his ear, deep, unfamiliar, "I think this will change her mind," then the feel of movement at his thigh where his dagger lay sheathed, the rasp as it was withdrawn. Then the voice again, he could hear his own heart pounding in his ears, "Fine workmanship, let's see if it does what it's supposed to do." He gasped as the dagger slid between his ribs on his right side, twisted, was removed. Another thrust. His instinct was to cover the wounds with his hand and he struggled against his bonds as the pain in his chest grew, he was finding it hard to draw breath. Then a hand shot out to a panel beside the door and it slid open...

"Loki? My heart, wake up!"

He reached for his side, fully expecting to feel the wetness of his own blood soaking the sheets. He sat up, his heart was racing, chest heaving as he drew in lungfuls of fresh air.

"I could not wake you, I was so afraid. You were having a bad dream." Eidra was kneeling beside him on the bed and at once he wrapped his arms about her while she in turn did the same.

"It is alright, my sweet. You are safe." She murmured, "What were you dreaming of?"

Loki knew what he had dreamed was not of this world, not of Asgard. He only paused a moment, however, "I cannot recall, I only know it was a dream."

"You were crying out, "Where is she?" Who is she?"

He backed from her, "I told you I cannot recall. It was but a dream."

She pulled him back down to lay beside her, "Close your eyes then, I have you now."

He lay there, his head on her chest, listening to her heart but it was a long time before sleep reclaimed him, before he could banish the memory of that door to the back of his mind.


	42. Chapter 42

Sophie found Brenna standing outside Miss Munro's office right where her text had said she would be. Sophie had washed her hands; they'd been in the kitchen helping with the Thanksgiving preparations for the next day when Brenna had gotten a call to come to Miss Munro's office. Sophie had then run to find Brenna when she'd said it was urgent.

"Bren, you okay?"

She shook her head, "I just received a message."

Sophie took Brenna's arm and put her hand to her back, "Sweetie, what is it?"

"Miss Munro talked to the Director. My uncle told him that my family is coming to visit me before Jul."

"Oh, that's wonderful..." Brenna was shaking her head again and Sophie said, "It's not wonderful okay, why?"

"My family, that means all of them."

"Jul is the winter solstice right? The twenty-first? I'll still be here, I'll get to see your little sister!"

Brenna leaned her forehead on the hallway wall, "And my mother, and brother...and my father."

Sophie nudged her, "Come on, Bren, really it can't be all that bad. You lived with them didn't you, I mean they're family...?"

"But that is there, this is here. My brother is going to freak out. Oh no what if they bring Helgi, gods."

She started off down the hall, Sophie following her, "That's the woman who took care of you right?"

"Yes," She put her arms over her head.

"Are you worried about being embarrassed by them? I know when my little sister comes to visit, I try to keep her apart from all my friends, she's such a dweeb."

Brenna threw her hands in the air, "See? That is just it. Oh why now?"

"We'll just have to make the best of it."

They stopped outside the kitchen doorway, "How?" Brenna groaned.

"We'll make them supper." Sophie clapped her hands together.

Brenna wrinkled her nose, "They will be as unsused to Midgardian food as I was."

Sophie waved a hand at her, "We'll figure something out. How did you get past it. Didn't Chase buy you free range chicken and organic vegetables?"

Brenna peeked into the kitchen where students and staff were peeling and chopping vegetables, laughing and talking, mixing, stirring, prepping.

"And then there is Chase."

Sophie was about to walk into the kitchen but turned to her, "What about Chase?"

Brenna pulled her back from the doorway. "It is customary to ask permission to court a lady where I come from."

"Geez," Sophie could see Chase sitting at one of the tables, peeling potatoes, "He would have to ask you father permission to date you? Talk about pressure."

"I was hoping maybe they would not find out about him at all."

Sophie gave her an astonished look, "What are you going to do then, tell him he can't meet your family? He's going to be here for the Christmas season isn't he?"

"I do not know. I will have to think about it. I will not tell him yet. I have to decide what to do."

Chase looked up to see Brenna heading towards him and he held up a finger to his lips, giving Brian a scowl as Brenna reached the table and sat down beside him, grabbing a peeler.

"What did Miss Munro want?"

Brenna, thrown by the question, fumbled the peeler and dropped it on the table before she snatched it up again. Sophie had followed her, "Test scores."

Brenna's eyes widened as she glanced first to Sophie then to Chase, "Yes, test scores. It seems I need a little..."

"Tutoring." Sophie finished as Brenna reached for a potato, her eyes still big.

Chase watched them both, deciding to play along, "In what subject?"

"Math." Brenna said.

"English!" Sophie piped up at the same time.

"Both? I thought you were doing good with your schoolwork. Now are you going to tell me why you got called to Miss Munro's office or am I going to have find out through the gossip mill?"

She put her forehead down on the table, her arms dangling below, "You do not want to know."

"Yes I do or I wouldn't have asked." He put his head down level with hers, "What's wrong?"

"Director Fury called Miss Munro to inform her that my family is coming to visit before Jul."

"Here?"

Brenna's head shot up, "Yes here! Do you see? Is it not the worst news?"

Chase sat back in his chair, "What? Your family visiting you is bad news? Seriously? The last time my parents saw the inside of this school is when they brought me here on the first day."

She put her hands to her face.

"There's something else isn't there?" Chase leaned forward to look at her.

"Do you recall who my father is?"

Chase had grabbed another potato. "Yeah."

"And do you recall who you are courting?"

"Ah I get it, "Brian pointed at Chase with his peeler. "They do things old school, dude. You talking about asking daddy's permission to date his daughter."

She held out her hands at Brian while looking at Chase. "Exactly! Are you prepared to walk up to my father and say, "Excuse me, I would like to beg your leave to court Brenna?"

Chase's peeling slowed ever so slightly, his response delivered in a voice that cracked, though he recovered quickly. "Yes...yeah, I mean what's the worse that can happen?"

Sophie and Brian paused, even Brenna was staring at him as he continued.

"He could say no, right? And then he would go home again. I mean its sorta symbolic anyway isn't it?"

Brenna had taken one of the cleavers to chop her potato and she punctuated her answer with the first slice, "It is still required where I come from and my father is notorious for his quick temper."

Chase smiled, "Well it's not like he's gonna have me beheaded."

"You hope," Brian added, squealing as Sophie punched him in the arm.

"Besides," Chase ignored them, "If he says no are you going to break up with me?"

Brenna flushed red, felt her cheeks burn. "No, I mean if I were concerned about disobeying him, would I still be here?"

Chase seemed to relax, returning to his peeling with gusto, "So then it's just a formality." He turned and caught Brenna's stare.

"It does not mean you should take it any less seriously unless you are not serious about us."

Chase put his peeler down on the table with some force, "Now have I ever said I wasn't?"

She looked down at the table, "No."

He gave a curt nod. "Okay, you want me to formally ask your father's permission then I will."

She cast him a shy smile thought she kept her thoughts to herself. She was in fact hoping Chase would show a bit of cowardice, maybe promise to stay out of the way for the time her family was at the school. To court under her parent's scrutiny was one thing, something that would have happened had she been back in Asgard but to ask to court her when she was a world away quite literally, and without a chaperone? She could see her father's reaction already and she shuddered.

There was nothing to be done about it though. She couldn't say she preferred they didn't visit because she was actually looking forward to seeing how Cait had grown, she missed her little brother too, and her mother. In fact, she had wanted nothing more lately than to curl up in her mother's lap as she hummed and rocked her even if she was much too big to do so nowadays. Her only concern was facing her father, deciding whether to ask him about what she'd learned, deciding whether she really wanted to know the truth.

Her concern had abated ever so slightly the next morning as she was distracted by the holiday. The students left at the school for Thanksgiving were gathered in the rec room with the large screen TV turned to the Macy's parade. The smell of turkeys pervaded the first floor. Brenna watched amazed, particularly by the giant balloons.

"But how do they make them? How do they fly?"

"Helium," Sophie responded, "They pump them full of it."

"It's a gas." Logan stood in the doorway, a beer in hand. "Some balloons use hot air, not to be confused with politicians."

Brenna looked over her shoulder at him, "I do not get it."

Logan winked at her, "Of course not, doll."

She scowled at him and returned to the screen where there was a large marching band performing before a storefront. "Such interesting music."

"We ought to ask about a field trip to Macy's." Sophie nudged her, "that place is amazing."

"Leave it to the women to plan a trip around shopping." Dylan laughed, "Now you want a worthwhile field trip, give me tickets to Shea stadium anytime. We're not alone either, what does America turn to after the parade? Football games."

Logan nodded, "I'll drink to that"

Kurt chuckled from his easy chair, "And a thousand other things."

"Pretty sharp, blue boy."

Brenna watched, amused, as Kurt's tail swished back and forth like a cat's until he patted it down into his lap. "You set a bad example for der children."

Logan's response was to give Kurt the finger. "How's that for a bad example?" to which Kurt muttered, "Par for der course, you overgrown backscratcher."

"Look at it snow, those poor kids." Sophie pointed to the TV where a float was passing by the cameras in a flurry. Brenna looked out the windows to see the same scene. Big flakes dropped by the window on their way to the ground.

"Hey how can Santa get here without snow for his sleigh?" Dylan laughed and Brenna's attention was drawn back to the TV.

"He comes from the North Pole just to be in the parade?"

Chase leaned over and patted Brenna's hand, "Remember what I told you? Santa isn't a real person."

Brenna nodded, "So you say, yet the children all wish to visit him with their gift lists."

She had been hearing from the grade school children all about Christmas for weeks now. Sophie had cautioned her not to say anything about Santa and she had obeyed, mainly because she herself was confused.

"My Uncle Chris told me of Father Christmas."

"One and the same," Chase nodded.

"And," Brenna added, "In Asgard, King Freyr visits the kingdoms during Jul, spreading harmony and light through the lands. My grandfather, Odin, headed the wild hunt, now it is my Uncle Thor's responsibility. Children leave their boots out filled with hay and sugar for the horses used on the wild hunt and received gifts for their kindness. My father used to join the wild hunt with the villagers. Now he hunts alone."

"But Santa is make believe," Sophie added, "look I'll get you books, maybe it'll be easier to understand...oh!" She reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out her cell phone, finding a text on the screen. "Rachel and Brian say Happy Thanksgiving."

Brian, in a bold move, had asked his parents if Rachel could spend Thanksgiving with them in the city. They had been more than welcoming when they heard she would be spending it otherwise at the school that next day. So she had hurriedly packed for a couple of days and they'd left for New York that previous afternoon. "She says it's shitting cold at the parade..oops, sorry Professor."

Kurt smiled with a wave of his hand, "Screw it."

"What he meant," Logan patted the back of Kurt's easy chair, "was fuck it."

Kurt closed his eyes and made the sign of the cross, "Lord give me der strength to stay my hands from der backscratcher's neck."

Logan reached down and ruffled his cobalt blue hair, "Forgive me father, for I have sinned.", leaping backwards out of the way as Kurt's tail whipped about, "Verdammt noch mal alle in die Hölle!"

"Hey, talk about a foul mouth!" Logan aimed his bottle at Kurt.

"Look," Sophie cried, "It's Santa!"

Brenna stared hard at the TV where a large old man in a red suit trimmed with white fur, sat atop a sleigh on a float, laughing and waving.

"That's it," Chase hugged Brenna closer, his arm around her shoulders, "And now it's time to check on the dinner. I'm starving."

She watched the float move past the cameras and out of view, clapping slowly to herself. She was tempted to throw something sharp at the screen, would have in fact if she'd had anything remotely fitting the description in her possession. Pretty soon Leroy would be bringing her a turkey dinner complete with heavy cardboard eating utensils, they'd gotten smart after she'd planted her cute little spork in Leroy's arm. She would take the dinner and pretend to give thanks for all David Wells did for her. Director, lord and protector, saving her from herself.

A commercial on the TV caught her attention. It showed a family of four, mother, father and two children all smiles and goddamn happy hearts-and-flowers standing by a pool on a cruise ship. Another clip showing the parents dancing and sweating in an on board night club, the children shooting down a slide into the pool. Then the name and logo, "Royal Caribbean" flash across the scene before it ended.

That was where she was going someday, soon if she had her way. And she knew how to get her way too. She had known since she was seven years old how to get what she wanted when her brother had made her hold his dick one night after a shower and the next evening had given her his dessert. If she tried a bit harder in fact, she could probably get Doc Wells to bring her onto the ship piggyback if she wanted. But David Wells was not in her plans, in fact he was only a stepping stone on her way out. A jailer she needed to get the keys from if she ever wanted to see the world outside on her own.

Leroy was nolo contendre. He was immoveable. She was of the opinion that he was probably gay. After all, how could any red-blooded male resist the temptation of free pussy? She'd tried over the years a hundred times if she'd tried once to lure him into an entanglement but he'd just laughed at her. Maybe he was smarter than he looked. Just maybe. She heard the door at the end of the corridor unlock.

Thank you Lord, for food so good and helping me do the things I should. Maybe she could knock an extra piece of pie out of him for a fondle. Most likely she'd get a cuff upside the head.

"Jesse," the voice at the door, "Step back where I can see you."

She knew the peephole's limits and she drifted into the middle of the small room to stand as Leroy opened the door and picked up the large tray at his feet, setting it on the small table beside the TV, never taking his eyes off her for more than a second.

"Happy Thanksgiving." He crossed his arms and stood back. She couldn't refrain from at least trying. She hated him for knowing it. She should have planted that spork in his fucking eye. She smiled sliding up to him and tugging on the belt of his guard uniform, wondering how fast she would have to be to unsnap the holster of his gun before he could grab her and toss her to the ground. She never got the chance though as he shoved her off before she could even bat her eyes.

"But Leroy, the offer still stands. We could share dinner in your office. I could show you my imitation of a turkey.."She winked at him, "Gobble gobble?"

He smirked, "Not a chance Jesse, I would've thought you'd given up by now. Doc will be in later, he said to tell you to enjoy your dinner."

She smiled, "And will you tell him to shove it up his ass for me?" She turned her hands over, "Sideways?"

Leroy's smile grew in return, "I'll do that. And you enjoy dinner for him."

He turned and left the room, shutting the door behind him with a click, leaving her to daydream about the myriad ways she would like to see him end his days, all of them by her own hands. She sat down to her meal much lighter in spirits then, than she had been. She'd complain to David about him again of course, but it would go nowhere. Still she could hope, and scheme. Maybe today wouldn't be as bad as she expected. She picked up her cardboard fork and dug in.


	43. Chapter 43

The week after Thanksgiving, the school transformed into what Sophie termed Christmas central. The younger grades had been making paper chains in art class with scrapbook paper and they festooned the halls reminding Brenna of the parchment stars and intricate snowflakes Helgi would cut out and hang above the mantle for Jul. Strings of lights soon joined them. The central tree in one corner of the rec room stood ready for the decorating party Friday evening. Christmas music was playing everywhere one went throughout the school.

Brenna had been surprised, not by the tree itself, explaining that they decorated a large evergreen tree in their dooryard to entice the tree spirits to come back in the spring. "But you have cut this tree down, the tree spirits will never come back. I do not ken."

They had explained to her what the tree was for, however, so she went along with it though she privately lamented to Sophie the loss of a perfectly healthy tree.

"So next year I'll beg Miss Munro to get one of those trees with the root intact so we can replant it okay?" She had dragged her from the tree then, and towards the kitchen.

Brenna had brightened up at the prospect of baking for the holidays. She was looking forward to baking cookies and showing Sophie and Rachel how to make Jul bread. When she'd described it to them, they had laughed and explained the fruitcake stigma. She had reassured them it would not be nearly as bad.

Brenna, who had now joined in math class with the other students, was happy to see Nala had returned. She had taken the week of Thanksgiving off and she and her husband had traveled to her parents home in Maine to spend the holiday with them. Brenna was amused to see Nala fit herself behind the desk now that she was showing. Not long after Brenna's arrival at the school, she had announced she was pregnant. She had taken to wearing long high waisted dresses. A friend who frequently made clothes for her, had suggested she forget about pants suits for a while. That Friday afternoon as class let out, Brenna stopped at Nala's desk. "My family is coming to visit for the Jul holiday."

"That's wonderful," Nala winced as she turned in the chair to face her, "You must be excited."

"Perhaps that is not the word, however, if you have questions about your heritage, you might venture to ask my father. He would know about the Jotuns."

She smiled thinly, "I wouldn't want to intrude on your visit."

"Not at all." Anything to distract her father would be appreciated.

Nala seemed doubtful, "Maybe, I'd like to know if I'm in for any surprises with the baby."

"Are not all babies surprises?"

Nala laughed, "They most certainly are."

Brenna sat cross-legged on the couch, watching children running back and forth laughing, screeching. Kurt dodged between them on his way to a stack of totes, Mister Summers handing the lights around the tree to Logan who stood with his hand out, chomping on an unlit cigar looking for all the world like he would rather be strung upside down from the rafters with a weight around his neck.

Sophie was taking the garland out of a green tote before her. "They had to get a nine foot tree. I hope we have enough garland."

"It is beautiful, so sparkly." Brenna reached out and touched the long silver strands.

"So my parents are picking me up the twenty-third. I hope your parents come before then so I can help you with the dinner."

"Do you think everything will go well?" Brenna took a length of garland Sophie handed to her, "I mean the dinner and all."

"Sure," Sophie handed her another garland which was soon snatched up by Logan with a grumble, "You said your family likes chicken. It's hard to screw that up. I know we can roast chickens if we can roast turkeys. Lorie said she would help us with the vegetables and the dessert."

Lorie was the cafeteria supervisor, she had helped Chase find the free range chickens when the store bought ones made Brenna sick.

"Did I miss anything," Came a voice behind her, she looked up, saw Chase take off his jacket and lay it on the arm of the couch she was sitting on. He plopped down beside her and took her hand, "Besides you, I mean. Did you miss me?"

Brenna poked him in the arm, "What do you think? You were gone most of the day, are you going to tell me now where you went?"

"Christmas shopping," Brian dropped down on the opposite side of her and leaned back against the arm of the couch.

"I see, why could I not go with you?" She leaned against Chase, staring up at him.

"Well you can't go with me when I pick out your present, silly. Presents are supposed to be a surprise."

"Oh." She sat up, feeling stupid.

Chase winked at Brian, "You'll like this surprise, trust me."

At least he hoped she would.

"Promise ring? Man what you promising her?"Brian looked into the jewelry cases before him as Chase took a piece of paper from his jacket pocket and unfolded it on the counter for the store clerk to look at.

"Let me get the ruler." The clerk reached below the counter and pulled out a long thin piece of plastic. "So you fooled your girlfriend into letting you trace her hand. Clever. What did you tell her?"

"It was Thanksgiving and we were helping the students make those hand turkeys to cut out so I asked her to use her hand too and I stole one of the papers. Will it work?"

The clerk, a smart dressed young man with a quick smile, put the ruler onto the paper and wrote down some measurements on a notepad beside him, "We can see. What were you looking at? Engagement?"

"Not yet," Chase peered into the cases until he spied a bright silver band with the word "Love" stamped through it, the O holding an emerald. "Do you have her size in that one?"

The clerk slid open the door at the back of the case, "This is a platinum band, the stone is emerald. Let me see." He read the tag tied to it, "And it's a half size smaller than what she seems to wear but given that this was a tracing, it might work since tracing adds a size."

Chase had looked at the price dangling off the string. It would take a chunk of the money from his account but he wanted it. Wanted to show her how serious he was.

Brian shook his head, "You still ain't said what you promising her."

"I'm promising her that I love her alright. Geez does it matter?"

Brian took the ring and looked at it, "Naw I was just wondering if you gonna give it to her before her daddy show up. I sure would hate to see you have to try and remove that little ring from your ass."

The clerk chuckled as Brian handed the ring back to him, "Do you need time to think about it?"

Chase glanced at Brian, then about the jewelry store where other couples were standing, looking into the cases, "No," He took out his wallet. "I'll take it."

The clerk walked them to the checkout counter, "If you need to get it resized just bring it back with the receipt. Once a month cleaning is free."

"You gonna give it to her for Christmas?"

"That was the plan yeah." Chase took the little black velvet box the clerk handed him.

"You might want to wait."

Chase shoved the box and the receipt into the inside pocket of his jacket, "Maybe I'll just give it to her in front of him, how's that for balls?"

"Hey it's your funeral."

He put his arm around Brenna's shoulders and was about to lean over and kiss her when he heard Logan call to him, "Hey loverboy, your turn at the tree. Help Bright eyes here with the garland."

Chase hopped up from the couch, "Yessir." As the younger students started to belt out "Jingle Bell Rock"

Logan gave a salute, "And that's my cue. I'm outta here."

Almost two hours later, the tree was finished. Better than half the school was filing in to admire it. Kurt had been assigned to read "Twas the night before Christmas." to the younger students and as he began, Brenna chose to slip away.

She had gathered a few cookies in a napkin from the tray on the ping pong table and was on her way out of the room when Chase caught up with her.

"Where are you going?"

She held up the cookies, "To my room to finish my homework before the weekend begins. I would rather not have a paper about the Vietnam war hanging over my head at the sledding party tomorrow."

Chase took the cookies from her, "I'll come with you then."

Brenna looked to where Kurt was sitting in an easy chair beside the tree, reading to a sea of children sitting on the floor before him. "I thought you would want to stay and hear the story."

Chase rolled his eyes, "Everyone knows this story. I'd rather come with you."

"Okay, but you had better let me work. No movies, you know how they distract me."

"No movies, I swear it." He put his hand over his heart.

Twenty minutes later, Chase lay on his stomach across the bed, his laptop before him. Brenna sat up with her own laptop on her knees, back to the headboard, her legs draped over his. He would giggle every so often, inevitably drawing her attention to the screen each time until at last she sighed loudly, "Chase, your videos are no different than a movie. Why do you not do your homework while I do mine? Then you will have the whole weekend to relax."

He craned his neck about, "Because the only homework I got is a makeup lab for this morning's science class. I got lab time signed up for Sunday afternoon. I'm sorry, babe. I'll get out my earphones." He started to reach into his jeans pocket and smiled, "Unless you want to be distracted."

He closed his laptop, setting it on the floor and rising to his hands and knees.

"Chase I am almost finished." She held her hands in front of her, "Please?" as he took her laptop from her and set it on the nightstand beside her bed.

"Be careful, that is not mine!" Her protest turning to a squeal as they fell to wrestling, laughing. She would get the upper hand more often than not. He was amazed at her strength but he finally managed to pin one of her arms, diving in for a breathless kiss, nibbling at her bottom lip until her struggling weakened, then ceased. She wrapped her free arm around his neck and pulled him closer to her as he loosed his hold on her other arm. She felt his hand slide beneath her t-shirt, up her stomach, along her ribcage to rest at the satin edge of her bra. She breathed heavy into his mouth as his thumb traced lazy circles on the fabric, moving against her nipple, tightening it to arousal. Her body began to respond in kind as she rose against him and he met her movement, returning it. This served to encourage further exploration, his hand slipping beneath her bra to cup her breast and she moaned as she felt his fingers slide further upward, gently kneading.

Her head was starting to swim, her hands to wander, emboldened by his attention. She slid her hands beneath his shirt, feeling the light hair line that started at his stomach and rose all the way to his chest where she planted her palms. He left her lips then to nip his way down her neck, stopping at the shell of her ear, "God, Brenna, I love you." in a voice thick with desire.

She felt his hand leave her breast and trail down her stomach to loosen the button of her jeans, the purr of the zipper and then his fingers slide beneath the hem of her panties. All at once, her hand was atop his, her grip firm. She wriggled from beneath him and sat up, suddenly afraid, her heart pounding as if she'd run a race.

Chase lay on his side, looking up at her back but when he reached up to rub it, she stiffened and he put his hands over his face, "Bren, geez, what's wrong?"

She couldn't answer for a minute. She had felt him hard against her hip as he leaned back to undo her jeans, knew what he intended to do, indeed, what she was considering as well. Then she thought of what would happen were they to couple. What if she became pregnant? She would surely have no say then, her father would take her back to Asgard if he had to chain her to him.

"I cannot do this. Not now."

Chase sat up, leaned against the headboard and pulled her back to him. After a little resistance, she let herself lay back on his chest. "If you're worried about getting pregnant. I can get protection."

She wrapped his arms tighter around her, "Protection?"

"Yeah, you know, like a rubber?" He smiled at her confusion, it had always plucked at his heart, how innocent she was.

"A rubber what?" She tilted her head to look up at him.

"Ah something to, you know, cover my...a condom...no?"

She shook her head and he could feel himself blush, it seemed silly considering what he'd been about ready to do. "To cover my thing...my, oh man."

"Your manhood." she turned to her side, her arm across his stomach. "We have something similar in Asgard, the men talk of it at least though they are made of animal intestines or bladder."

Chase's mouth dropped open, "That sounds like all kinds of wrong."

"Well they are well cleaned first, honestly, you must think us animals."

They lay there quiet for a while, he stroking her hair, "I didn't mean to scare you, Brenna. I mean I was scared my first time too. I was fifteen and I barely knew the girl. She was a friend of Brian's from his neighborhood."

She sat up, "And you did not marry her?"

Chase laughed so hard his stomach began to hurt, "Oh hell no, oh my god, Bren. It was a one-night stand. I never saw her again. Are you telling me at sixteen that you never even fooled around with those boys you talked about from your village?"

She cringed, "Chase, please do not be mad with me. I was afraid that if I told the truth, they would send me back to Asgard."

Chase sat forward, "What."

She put her hands to her mouth, speaking through her fingers as if they would make the confession easier to bear, "I am only fifteen seasons."

Chase's eyes grew wide, "You said you were fifteen when we met, when you talked to Miss Munro."

"I was afraid I would not be allowed to stay here. I turned fifteen on my birthday. Chase!"

He had leaped from the bed to pace the floor, "Fifteen, shit, does anyone else know?"

"No, please forgive me. I would have told you if I had not been afraid you would be upset and I was right, was I not?" She stood up from the bed, buttoning her pants as she went.

"Well wouldn't you be mad if the girl you loved had been lying to you all along?" Chase threw his hands in the air.

"Does it truly matter that I am but one season younger than you thought?" She grabbed his arm, "Do you not still love me?" She could feel her throat tighten as tears threatened and he turned to her, taking her by the shoulders.

"Don't you ever doubt it. Don't even think about doubting it. I'm just a little shocked is all." He rubbed her arms, "What with the close call."

"I know, I know, I am not ready to give myself to you, yet." she leaned her forehead against his chest, "I promise someday it will happen."

He brought her to the bed where they lay back staring at the ceiling, his arm behind her head.

"It's alright, Bren. I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want to do. We've got all the time in the world." He played with a strand of her hair "How young do people marry in Asgard?"

"I have known a couple of girls from Rialo who were wed at sixteen seasons. Their families were quite influential. They had substantial dowries and many suitors. But most are wed by their eighteenth season." She gazed up at Chase, "What a strange question."

He rolled over onto his stomach and reached down to the floor where his jacket lay beneath his laptop. He then reached inside the inner pocket and pulled out the black velvet box. She had rolled to her stomach beside him by then and when he handed the box to her, she sat up. "I was going to wait for Christmas but heck I can find another present. I can't wait that long."

He flipped open the top and took out the ring. "This is called a promise ring." Her mouth hung open as he took her hand and tried her ring finger, letting out a held breath as it halted at first, then slid over her knuckle.

"Love." She read the stamped word, "Is that your promise?"

"And a lot more," He lay back down and pulled her to his chest, "Do you think I'll measure up to your father's standards?"

"I do not know. I have never been courted before."

He lifted his head to look at her, "Really, you've never even dated anyone? Man, can I pick 'em."

"Do these promise rings work both ways?"

Chase smiled, "Why, do you have a promise to me?"

She nodded, "I promise that I will love you no matter what my father says." She hugged him to her. She felt emboldened by this solid declaration of his dedication to her, whether her father would approve of him or not was of little consequence. Her heart was well and truly taken.


	44. Chapter 44

He was agitated. He had missed the rabbit by mere inches. His mind was everywhere but where it needed to be. Loki knew full well he had to hunt for his family but now, without Chris to talk to, the woods seemed to mock him with their silence, giving him plenty of time to think of how lonely he'd become. Not that he didn't have Eidra to comfort him, she was his rock. But, he had frowned to himself, a man needed other men for companionship as well. The men he knew in the village would not fit the bill either. He hated Petter with a passion, the physician was the last man he would wish to have a mug of ale with. The blacksmith, Vedic, was stoic, much too serious, friendly and all but again, nothing nearing a friend. The other men in town looked upon him with distrust and he wondered how long they would do so, had he not been living in the town for nearly nine seasons? When he would stop into the tavern for a drink, he would inevitably sit at an empty table.

There were other issues troubling him too, pervading his thoughts as he sat with his back to a fallen log, reloading his crossbow. The following week would bring him to Midgard again. He was most eager to see Brenna, to see her progress at the Midgardian school. He was not, however, looking forward to New York. Eidra, on the other hand, was positively trembling with excitement. She had not left off talking of the trip for better than a whole moon. She wished to see Lily again and he admitted that he could not blame her. The agent had been the one person on Midgard he'd come to tolerate during their previous stay. The trip would also mean they would travel to Asgard for that had been the condition of the visit, that they would use the Bifrost to reach Midgard. He would see his brother. He laughed to himself, ruefully. He was actually looking forward to seeing the blond oaf again. He stood and stretched, picking up his crossbow and shouldering it as he headed through the woods to the trail for home.

Eidra took one loop and set it over the nail, moving to the next loop.

"Oh she will love it." Sally felt the soft fiber of the shawl that Eidra was blocking. She'd set a plank with nails evenly spaced, had used it for other garments as well but this piece was special. She had wanted to make Brenna something that would remind her of home each time she used it and the lightweight shawl was perfect. She wished to preserve the openwork stitch she'd learned from the patterns she'd written down while in the hospital on Midgard. She was hoping she would get a chance to show Lily the shawl before she delivered it to Brenna.

Fen had climbed onto a chair and now stood over the table watching her work the shawl into shape. "Why are you doing that, Mama?"

"Because when it dries, it will stay open and pretty like it should."

She looked to the end of the table where he'd left his little knife and a half carved piece of wood. "What are you carving?"

"I am carving a fish, I want it to be a fish. I wish Uncle Chris were here to show me what to do."

"Well off with you, it will not carve itself." She gave a nod.

He jumped down from the chair and Sally shook her head, Helgi sat in the rocking chair with her knitting. "I shudder every time I see that boy with the knife."

"He must learn to wield it either way." Eidra hooked another loop.

Fen, possessing the ears of the young, suddenly dropped the knife onto the table again and ran to the window by the door. "Papa is home!"

Flinging the door wide open, he flew outside to meet him. In the pen on the floor beside Eidra, Cait seemed to squeal in response. Eidra looked down at her and received a smile in return. She had a tight grip on the wooden rattle Chris had whittled for her and she was shaking it up and down with a click clack sound. Sally had run to the door and shut it. "Boys, 'tis brought up in barns they are and forever leaving the doors open."

Helgi, rocking by the fire, keeping an eye on Cait, had set her knitting in her lap, "Are you going to tell him?"

Eidra was setting the frame with the stretched shawl upon it near the fire to dry, "I fear that if I do, he shall not allow me to travel to Midgard."

Helgi picked up her knitting again, "It is early yet. There would be no harm."

Eidra had been about to answer when the front door swung open and Fen ran inside followed more slowly by Loki who leaned his crossbow against the wall beneath the cloak pegs. "The hares outsmarted me this morning."

He swept Eidra into his arms, kissing the top of her head as she breathed in the scent of fresh air, damp wool and a musk uniquely his own. She buried her face in his shoulder, feeling his arms gather her in but Fen was soon pulling him away towards the table to show him how he had progressed with his carving.

"It matters not, we have venison in the pot."

He had admired Fen's work and was now bending over, scooping up Cait who could hardly contain her excitement, burying her hand in his hair as he bussed her cheek, laughing at her squeak of joy. He sat down with her on his lap, warming himself before the fire, Fen trying at the same time to insinuate himself under one arm and as he looked up at Eidra he saw a glance pass between her and Helgi. When Eidra turned to him, catching his stare, she immediately set to busying herself again and Loki knew something was amiss. He let it slide for the moment though.

"Eidra." He stood, setting Cait back down on the blanket in her pen where she began to fret. Eidra made to pick her up again but Loki took her hand, "Helgi, will you tend to Cait? We are going to check on Blackberry's progress."

The mare had begun her labor and he had been keeping a watch on her. Helgi set her knitting down once again and picked up a wailing Cait. "Go on then, she will stop when you are out of sight."

Loki took Eidra's cloak from the peg and threw it around her, guiding her out the door, missing the look she gave to Helgi before the door shut behind them.

Blackberry was laying on her side in her stall when they reached the stable, shaking their cloaks free of the light snow that had started to fall. The mare raised her head and snorted at them, her sides heaving. "I will stay with her tonight, to see that all goes well."

The light was already starting to wane as they stood at the stable gate, "You should bring a brazier to the barn."

"I shall if I start to feel the cold." Which he had not in all his life. "I will bring a blanket back out." he cast a sideways glance at her, "Unless I were to have someone here to keep me warm."

She closed her eyes as his fingers slid across the nape of her neck, beneath the tumble of dark curls to rest firm on her shoulder. Her pulse quickened with the touch of his lips at the hollow of her throat. Her hand rose to rest at the back of his head, the other holding tight to the gate as she melted into him, letting his kisses infuse her senses. He trailed upwards, his tongue sliding a trail along her neck until he was at her ear whispering, "My minx, what is it you are hiding from me?"

She bit her lip hard but couldn't contain the giggle that escaped her. She heard the humor in his voice, "Aha, tell me what do you even try after all these seasons together?"

She covered the hand at her shoulder with her own, "Some secrets are not to be shouted from the mountaintops, rather they must be whispered in confidence."

He paused, waiting.

"I have not bled this moon." Felt his other hand steal across the swell of her breasts as he took her in a fierce hug.

"As I had hoped. Perhaps another son?"

She lay her head on his chest, "Two boys, two girls? We may always hope but I shall take what we are given."

He pulled his cloak around them, "We shall be blessed. It may be a wise choice to consult the Midgardian physician who delivered Cait to assure all is well with you when we travel to see Brenna."

Surprise was clear upon her face, "Truly?"

"I shall not risk your life nor that of our child though I despise the vulgar Midgardian ways. You are of utmost importance to me."

She snuggled closer to him, feeling safe and happy, content.

Later that evening after having settled Fen in his bed, seen Cait in with Helgi, she took her heavy coverlet, wrapped it about her and returned to the barn where she found Loki settled on a bale of hay, plaiting a length of rope by the light of the lantern hanging on the beam above the stall. His breath was vapor in the cold night air. She sat beside him offering part of the coverlet which he refused. They remained then in comfortable silence, listening to the mare's heavy breathing punctuated by a weak whinny here and there. She fell into a light doze at his side, startled awake by his movement. He walked to the stall door. "Her water has broken, it shant be long now."

She stood and walked to the gate, keeping a safe distance as Blackberry's ears flattened to her head and she struggled to stand in her final minutes. The foal's forelegs finally appeared, straight and spindly as she returned to the ground, her whole body seeming to tense as the snout poked through.

"Poor thing, I know just how she feels." Eidra murmured.

Another heaving grunt and most of the foal was out, she appeared then to curl in on herself at the final push and the foal slid out onto the straw.

"It looks to be a boy, a good omen, I think." Loki laced his fingers with hers.

The foal raised his head once or twice as Blackberry began to lick it clean, rolling it over on occasion with her large tongue.

"We shall have to think of a name for it."

Eidra clung to his arm, "You will not allow Fen to name this one?"

He knew she was teasing, "No, this shall be my choice."

They watched the foal stare about the stall, its large brown eyes blinking each time Blackberry roughed its pelt with her ministrations. The coat was a dark wet brown, with a small white patch at the sternum but Loki knew once dry, it would turn out a shiny rich chestnut like its mother. The foal tipped forward as it tried to gain its balance, gathering its legs beneath.

"Agathon."

Eidra wrinkled her nose at the sound, "A strange companion to Blackberry and Lightning."

"It means honorable, good. Would you prefer that for our son?"

She poked him in the ribs as he chuckled, "Agathon it is. Now head inside before you take a chill. I will follow when I am sure the foal is recovered."

She did not protest, instead headed back to the cottage. As she closed the door, she heard Sally from her room. "Is she delivered?"

Eidra peered into the darkened room, just able to make out Sally's form in her bed, "She is, a stallion, with any luck he will be a fine stock. We may stud him in the village when he is old enough." She grinned, "Loki named him Agathon."

Sally laughed, " 'Tis an odd name but so be it. I shall see ye in the morn."

The sky had started to lighten when she felt his weight upon the mattress as he curled up to her back, reaching around her stomach to feel Cait tucked into the crook of her arm, a chubby fist gripping a handful of Eidra's gown. "Is all well?"

"The young prince has fed and now rests with his mother. I see the princess hath been restless."

"She hath." Felt him touch Cait's head lightly then return to her waist where it remained until he dropped to sleep just as the sun's rays tipped the horizon.

The week ahead was filled with anticipation as they readied to travel to Asgard and thus to Midgard. Helgi kept protesting, digging in her heels whenever Eidra prodded her to pick her best dresses to pack but Eidra would not back down and threatened to choose for her instead. She had dared her to do such a thing but in the end, picked a dark blue velvet gown with a flowered bodice and her green linen piece.

Fen was beside himself, unable to sleep at night until exhaustion forced his hand, during the day unable to talk of anything save the trip. Eidra would try to soothe him but she too felt the rush of excitement. Cait seemed to feel the change in mood and would coo and squeal while she watched Fen race around the cottage expending his endless wealth of energy. Even Loki seemed unusually jovial as he packed the suits Stark had given him carefully in the trunk. "I should see if Stark could procure a dress for you as well. To Midgard, our garments seem ancient."

"I like our clothing, fie upon them if they do not." but she secretly hoped he would ask anyway.

The days chipped away at the time, preparations were made for Sally to tend to the farm while they were gone until the morning Eidra tiptoed into Fen's dark bedchamber and shook him gently. "Today is the day." and he was out of the bed before she had chance to stand up again.

By sunup, they would be on the road to Asgard.


	45. Chapter 45

"Now, ye mind yer mother, child." Sally enfolded Fen in her plump arms and kissed his forehead.

"Yes Aunt Sally."

She could feel the boy quivering like an animal that had been spooked and she let him go to leap up into the wagon where he stood waiting for Helgi who was pinning her cloak together. "Are you sure you will fare well alone?"

Sally smiled, "Ye know they will drag ye kicking and screaming. Give in, me friend." She hugged Helgi tight then held her hand as she climbed into the back of the wagon with Fen. Eidra sailed from the cottage with Cait in her arms, bundled in a heavy blanket.

"Nappy changed, again" she shook her head, gave Sally a one armed hug, Sally leaning over and kissing Cait's head.

"Ye take care now. Don't fret over the farm. I'll be taking good care of it."

Eidra handed the baby up to Loki and climbed up into the wagon seat beside him, "We'll be five days at the most, I promise. When we reach Asgard, we shall stay the night tonight and leave for Midgard on the morrow."

"No hurry, enjoy yerself and give me love to Brenna."

Loki snapped the reins and Lightning started forward, Fen and Helgi waving at Sally until she was no longer visible.

Cait's eyes were wide as she sat on Eidra's lap, watching the scenery fly by. Loki would glance over at her every so often and smile, rub her head. "She takes everything in does she not."

"Fen, sit still!" Helgi cried, "Eidra will you make that boy stay beneath the blankets, he will catch his death."

"Fen," Loki grumbled, "Mind Helgi."

"But Papa, I am too excited." His head appeared between them as he leaned beneath the back of the seat.

"Loki, stop the wagon."

Eidra stood and turned, "Helgi, take Cait." She climbed into the back of the wagon and sild beneath the blanket, handing the coverlet she'd been using on her lap to Fen. "Now go up to the seat and sit beside your father but mind yourself lest you suffer the consequences."

Fen fairly leaped over the back of the seat and settled in beside Loki, straining forward as if he could make the wagon fly faster.

"To what do I owe this honor?"

"Some measure of peace and quiet." Eidra poked him from behind and he sighed as they started off again.

By midday, they were better than halfway to Asgard. Fen had fallen asleep, his head on Loki's lap. Helgi as well. Eidra was nursing Cait. She would make faces at her and Cait would stop suckling to smile around her nipple making Eidra giggle until there were tears in her eyes.

Loki had twisted around to join in, letting Lightning follow the path and soon they were both laughing. "Silly girl," Eidra cooed. She looked up at the road before them. "It is not much longer now is it."

"It is not." They were passing some of the farthest fields of the palace, outside the city limits. "I would let them sleep."

Eidra winced as Cait bit down, "Soon little one, you shall be on solid food." She detached Cait and put her over her shoulder, rubbing her back until she made a small burp, then burrowing her back beneath the blankets, watching her eyes drift close as she cradled her in her arms.

"What do you hope for when you see Brenna?"

Loki had faced the road again but turned his head, "What do you mean?"

"Well, do you hope she will come home?"

"I have no further illusion that she will come with us willingly. I do hope she is safe and happy. I could not tolerate Midgard treating her poorly."

Eidra touched her lips to Cait's forehead, "Perhaps she has matured in her time away. Maybe a conversation which does not involve disagreement is possible."

He smiled, a thin lipped grin, "She is still young, even elders disagree at times...children always."

"You could try to engage her. Be not the parent, but the friend."

He hunched forward at the reins, "She has friends, I am sure. Parents are to be listened to, obeyed."

"And as of yet she has not done so. You must be able to talk to her. She is nearly an adult herself. She is fifteen seasons." She watched his back, "Do you not think it is time?"

"We shall see."

The spires of the palace poked over the edge of the horizon just then and Loki shook Fen who put his head up. "We are nearly there."

Fen whirled about, hanging over the back of the bench seat. "Mama, look." He pointed behind him at the sun glinting off the highest spires, "Asgard!"

When they finally passed through the gates into the main courtyard of the palace, Loki had to hold Fen in the seat until the wagon rolled to a stop. Thor was standing on the steps waiting and he trotted out to meet them, picking Loki up in a bear hug as he stepped down from the wagon, "Brother, the guards on the walls spotted you and alerted me you were nearly here."

Behind him, Loki saw Silas standing at attention, a broad grin on his face to match his stature. He had grown into a giant of a man, wide in the shoulders, barrel chested. Loki could scarce reconcile him with the same small boy from so many seasons past.

Thor waved to a servant boy who stood apart from them, at the ready by Lightning's head.

"Stable the horses and see that the trunk is brought to the Prince's bedchamber."

The boy bowed deeply, "Yes, your Majesty," grabbed the reins and led the wagon away through a far arch leading further into the palace.

"Mother is ecstatic that you have come. She is eager to see the new princess. She is waiting in the arboretum, come."

As they followed Thor through the halls, Eidra fell in beside Silas who smiled down at Cait as she drooled onto her fist.

"You have grown so." Eidra murmured, "How fares Ingrid? Gunnar must be half your size by now."

Silas chuckled, "He keeps Ingrid busy but he is a good boy. Ingrid is well, she was delivered of a daughter this moon past. We named her Eidra. I hope this pleases you."

Eidra saw the familiar blush creep up his neck and couldn't help a tear that sprang to her eye unbidden. "I feel most honored to be remembered so fondly in such a way. I hope to see the babe before we return to Rialo. You must make it a point to visit during the warmer months."

"Indeed we shall."

Eidra could smell the arboretum before she could see it. The flowers were perpetually in bloom in the heat generated by the steam pipes which kept it as warm as springtime. Frigga was sitting by the fountain in the center and she held open her arms when she saw Fen. He ran to her, enfolded in the flowing sleeves of her gown, "My little prince. You are so much bigger than when I last saw you."

She looked up at Loki who had followed Fen, "Greetings Mother." he bent down and kissed her cheek. She reached up then and touched his temple, "Silver in your hair?"

He straightened again, "How kind of you to notice."

She laughed at his thin lipped frown, took a handful of her own iron gray curls, "My son, each strand is a testament to courage in the campaign to raise two headstrong sons and a husband at the same time. You have cut it again?"

Loki nodded, "In mourning for a friend."

She was at once serious, "I am so sorry. You were very close?"

"We were." He looked about the arboretum at the flowers and trees in an effort to clear his mind of the memories that flooded in each time he thought of Christopher.

Cait chose that time to squeal and Frigga stood up, approaching Eidra who curtsied as best she could with her arms full of squirming baby. "The littlest princess! Oh is she not precious? What did you name her?"

"Cait." Loki replied.

Frigga tickled her back and she squealed again, "How lovely, how old is she now?"

"Four moons, your Majesty."

Frigga took Eidra's free hand, "I insist you address me as Mother, my dear."

Eidra curtsied again, "As you wish...Mother."

"Much better, now she is four moons and she too has not been marked and recognized? We should see to it while you are here, Loki?"

Thor nudged him, "I have pressed him to do so in the past Mother. Perhaps you might sway him."

"We shall see." He muttered, "I must think of the trip now."

Frigga held out her arms and Cait, still of an age where she had no fear of strangers, leaned over to fall into her embrace.

Fen had taken to running around the fountain with Helgi after, trying to corral him.

"Helgi," Frigga called to her, "Are you certain you will not return to the palace to work?"

She caught Fen and put her hand atop his head where he spun in circles giggling, "At times like this, your Majesty, I am inclined to consider it."

Frigga let loose a musical laugh and kissed Cait who had the ruby and gold necklace Frigga was wearing, firm in one hand, trying to bring it to her mouth.

"There will ever be a place for you, good woman, now come, we were holding the evening meal for you in the Great Hall."

Helgi had hung back intending to visit with Volsa and Artra while they dined but Frigga, as she passed, said, "You as well, Helgi. You are Loki's family are you not?"

"Yes your Majesty," and she dutifully followed them out of the arboretum and down the hallway. Frigga insisted on carrying a happy Cait, moving close to Eidra as they walked so they might speak. "I have been without a baby for too long now, Sif keeps the crown prince Lóriði at her side night and day as if she fears he will be taken from her. I hardly know him and we reside in the same palace." She cuddled Cait close, "She is such a well behaved lady."

Eidra gazed into Cait's sweet face, "Until she wishes to nurse, or is wet. She could shatter glass with her cries."

The Great Hall was ablaze with candles, torches. The table was set, servants carrying in trays of food. Sif, a fussy Lóriði who seemed to be playing a game of up and down in his chair, and Odin were already seated. Odin had dozed off but when they entered the room, Sif shook him, "Allfather, they are here."

Loki tensed as Odin's gaze came to bear on him, "You are late."

Odin picked up the chalice of wine before him with a trembling hand. "Sit."

Thor bowed, "Forgive us, Father, we fetched Mother from the arboretum." Thor had confided in Loki as they approached the hall that father had worsened in his old age. He had become forgetful, confused. He would talk of the dead as if they still lived. He cared little for what he said or to whom he said it. Thor had implored Loki to have patience and he had promised to try his best.

Fen had firmly ensconced himself between Frigga and Eidra in an effort to hide from Sif's steely gaze. Loki held Eidra's chair for her. Thor took a seat beside Sif who had by then handed Lóriði off to a nursemaid who had taken the still discontented boy from the room for his supper in the nursery.

The meal began pleasantly enough, they being hungry from the long trip, fell to eating. Eidra mashed the boiled potatoes on her plate and cooling them to give to Cait who sat, mouth open like a hungry bird as Frigga fawned over her. "Such an appetite." Fen had crawled into her lap yet again and was making faces at Cait, trying to get her to laugh. In an unguarded moment, Eidra happened to glance about the table first to Loki who had fixed her with a beatific smile then to Odin who was only interested in getting the food down his throat, to Thor who held a chalice he was rolling in his hands as he grinned across at his brother, then to Sif. Therein she was shocked. Sif had taken to watching Frigga play with Fen and Cait and her look was pure venom. When her gaze shifted to Eidra, however, she smiled and nodded, returning her attention to her half finished meal, leaving Eidra to wonder until Helgi stood and bowed, "Your Majesty, might I be excused?"

Frigga nodded, "Going to see your old friends?"

"Yes, your Majesty." Helgi glanced at Eidra.

"Off you go then." Frigga waved her off, she bowed and was gone. It was then the conversation started.

"Odin, I may have convinced our son to have the children marked and recognized while he is here." Frigga stroked Cait's soft downy hair.

"It is well past time for such a thing. Thor, see to it. The children of a prince above all should be one of the Aesir."

"Yes father, I shall."

"Thor tells me you travel to Midgard on the morrow to visit my oldest graddaughter. He has yet to tell me why she resides there and not in Asgard."

Loki saw Thor cover his mouth, train his eyes on Odin, "She ran from home when she was not allowed to stay here in the palace. Midgard is where she found herself." Loki waited, hands clasping the arms of the chair he sat in.

"Indeed, she is as wild as you were." His attention wandered for a moment, he stared into his cups, "Always disobeying your mother and myself, the both of you."

Thor hid a smile which grew as Loki's appeared, "We were boys, it was in our nature."

"But not in the nature of a girl. They must be made to obey, made to be ladies. It would be better were she able to learn the ways of palace life,"

"Father," Loki interrupted but Odin continued.

"I have said it before I shall say it a thousand times, structure, discipline, decorum."

Loki held his breath, thinking of anything but the hundred retorts running through his mind and Odin paused.

"You have married, Thor has told me."

He had known when they had visited that spring but he cared not to correct Odin, "Yes Father,"

"And your son and daughters, they are of one mother?"

Loki had been about to answer but was stopped short as Eidra spoke up, "They are of one father, sire, Loki."

Odin fixed Eidra with his eye, "She is bold, Loki. Brave. Does your stock measure the same?"

"One that we are sure of, the others are young as of yet."

"Why have you not moved back to Asgard?" Odin held up his chalice and a servant moved to fill it. Another servant at Loki's elbow moved to refill his chalice as well but he moved his hand over the top and the servant retreated.

"I have pondered finding a cottage in a village closer to the palace."

Eidra's head swung around at the same time she heard across the table, a cough and a sputter mingled with a cry, "Truly, brother?"

Eidra looked over to Thor and Sif. Thor wore a look of unabashed excitement but Sif's face was one of raw hatred as she glared first at Loki then at Fen and Cait and Eidra realized at once that Sif was jealous of her children. For what reason she knew not but there it was.

She looked back to Loki who was taking a draught from his chalice, catching his eye as he dropped it from his lips. He winked at her then and she settled back in the chair. Cait had started to fuss again, rubbing her face at the swell of Eidra's breast. "She wishes to nurse." Frigga took Cait while Eidra unlaced her gown, returning the baby to her arms where she settled in. Almost immediately her eyes began to drift shut.

"It has been a busy day." She whispered to Frigga.

Odin had finished another chalice of wine and Eidra wished silently that he would stop but to no avail. "It would be most welcome to have my sons together again in harmony, as well as their little heirs." He swung his gaze to Sif who made to study the contents of her cup.

"Nothing is set in stone, father. It is a great undertaking to uproot one's family from the only home they have known. There must be more discussion upon it."

Odin set his chalice down and covered the top with his hand, "See that you do. When you are returned from Midgard, we shall see the children recognized." He stood, the rest of the table standing in respect. "I grow weary. If you will excuse me, I shall beg my leave."

He nodded around the table and Thor moved to his side, "Let me see you to your chamber, Father." Thor waved to Loki, "Walk with us brother."

Loki stood, leaning over Eidra, "Retire to our bedchamber and settle in the children. I will not be long."

"Move closer to Asgard?" She whispered, "How is it you have not spoken with me upon this?"

He leaned close enough, his lips touching her ear, "I wished to observe something. We shall talk of it later."

"Sif?"

His eyes met hers, "How did you know?"

"I am a woman, I am not ignorant. Go with your brother."

He kissed the line of her jaw and she closed her eyes, "I will be brief."

She watched them walk out of the Great hall, one on either side of Odin, then she withdrew her nipple from Cait's slack mouth, smiling as she suckled in her sleep and turned to Frigga. "I must get the children to bed, we will have a big day on the morrow. Will you walk to the bedchamber with us?"

Frigga's face seemed fairly to glow, "I would love nothing better." She set Fen down on the floor and took his hand, Eidra rising from the table, feeling Sif's stare bore into her as they retreated from the hall.

Once in the hallways, she felt safer, the familiar always soothing her. "Was Loki serious about moving closer to Asgard? Would we have the pleasure of seeing our grandchildren more often?"

"I do not know. He has not consulted me as of yet." She listened to the sounds of palace life, the voices, shuffle of the servant's slippers as they walked the corridors, the shouts, peal of the bells. She confessed to herself she did miss some of this.

"I do hope you will." They entered the bedchamber where a cot had been set up for Fen and a cradle for Cait. She laid the baby inside and covered her with a satin coverlet. "If she wakes I shall change her. For now I will enjoy the peace."

Frigga brought Fen to the cot where she picked up a silk robe nearly identical to the ones Loki had hanging in his wardrobe in Rialo though he barely wore them. They were much too fine for village life, he had claimed, though he had brought them from Asgard when last they had visited.

"This is yours, Fen. Go put it on."

Fen took it with a bow. Eidra was relieved to see he had recalled his manners, and in seconds was back to stand before the fireplace, his hands in the air. "It is long, is it a dress, grandmother?"

"No, it is a fine robe, it will keep you warm. How handsome you look."

Fen pursed his lips, "Thank you, grandmother." and Eidra suppressed a giggle as Frigga rolled her eyes to the ceiling.

"Men miss the finer points in life do they not?" She gazed about the room, "I will let you to rest, my dear."

Frigga took Eidra's face in her hands and kissed her forehead, "It would be a joy to have such a gentlewoman as yourself a regular in the palace."

"Thank you...mother." She curtsied again and with a smile, Frigga drifted from the room, leaving Eidra alone with her thoughts.

Loki sailed down the corridor, eager to return to Eidra. He had accompanied Odin to his bedchamber, helping Thor to settle him in. Once out in the corridor, Thor had stopped him.

"Until this night, I did not know if Father was aware of Sif's indiscretion, now I am sure."

Loki had reassured him that there was little chance of Odin knowing much in his condition but promised to visit with him as soon as he settled Eidra to bed.

He had rounded the corner of the hall, a few feet from his door when a young woman stepped from the shadows and he immediately recognized Astrid's assistant.

"My mistress has learned you are here in the palace, Milord. She wishes to speak with you, it is urgent."

He was startled but held his composure, "I am ready to retire for the evening."

She bowed low, "It is of utmost importance."

"If it be so important, why does she not come to see me herself?" he started for his bedchamber again but she bowed once more.

"Please, I implore you. My mistress no longer stirs from her bed. She is not long for this realm."

He cast a glance down the corridor to his door, "Very well, lead on but I cannot stay long."

Astrid lay amidst a mound of pillows, her snow white hair spread about like a halo. When Loki entered her room, she raised her head with a cackle, "You found him, praise Odin. Come, boy."

Loki approached the bed but only after she patted the pillows beside her did he sit down, hands folded in his lap, "What is it you wish to tell me crone?"

"You always have a kind word for old Astrid." She patted his hands, her gnarled fingers surprisingly soft. "I have nothing save a warning that has come to me for a fortnight now."

She lifted his hands and held them between hers, "I do not always know to what my visions refer but know this, you must make amends. There will come a time when it will mean life or death to you, my young prince."

Amends? To whom? For what?" he slid his hands from her grasp.

"I do not know, tell me, do you?"

He could think only of New York. There was little chance he could ever make amends there, with the atrocities he had committed upon the city and its citizens. She was speaking of an impossible task. "I cannot do what you ask."

"You must save one to save both." Astrid's sightless eyes scanned the room, "Without the power of transformation, the butterfly will remain a caterpillar."

She waved to her assistant who raised her to sit up and she put her hand to his face, "You must remember what I have told you or nothing to come will seem wondrous. Go now and tend to your wife, she waits."

Astrid reclined back to the pillows, out of breath but with a smile on her face, "I have done my chore."

Loki rose from the bed and backed from the room, wishing to put as much distance between him and Astrid as was possible.

He was nearly at a run when he reached his bedchamber. He opened the door but stood there. Fen was fast asleep as were Eidra and Cait. The fire was low, the braziers at the portico aglow, keeping the room warm. He turned away then and started back down the corridor the way he had come, missing Eidra as she sat up.

She swung her legs over the floor and slid her feet into her slippers. Reaching the door, she caught a glimpse of his robe as it swirled around the far corner of the hallway. She ran after him, as they continued realizing with a sick dread where he was headed.

She stopped a few yards behind him, unwilling to call out his name for fear he would be angry with her for following him. He slowly opened the reliquary doors and slipped inside. She edged up to the doors and peered into the crack between them. There were objects in the long chamber she knew nothing of but the one object he paused in front of made her heart pound so hard as to be physically painful. What could she do? Could she knock him to the ground, should she run to Thor? He stood still, staring at the glowing blue cube. She could see his hands trembling even from such a distance. If he touched the Tesseract again, she feared everything would be lost, her life would be over if she were to lose him to such evil. She had worried that such poison would destroy him and had at one time hoped he would someday divulge to her what had truly happened, to free his mind and soul.

When Loki had returned to Tir Na Nog to fetch Chris and Sally, Eidra had begged Helgi to tell her what she knew of Loki's absence, his imprisonment. What had happened when he had been separated from her. She had resisted, telling Eidra that there were things much too horrible to be spoken of but Eidra had insisted that knowing all about him could help to heal him.

Then she had told Eidra of New York. Silas had been made to stand witness to the testimony of his various crimes when he returned from Midgard, a scarred, broken man. Completely mad, he had been branded a murderer. The Chitauri had well and truly made him their puppet, using his grief and anger to their advantage, pushing him to lie, kill. Eidra had listened in stunned silence, had even made to leave before he returned, running in fear or disgust she knew not. Instead she had waited for him, prepared to force him to bare all before her but when he had come home, brought Chris and Sally, taken her in his arms and wet her dress with his tears, she had held him. She had declared her undying love for him over and over. It mattered not what had happened, she loved him more than her own life and now, watching him stare into the depths of pure evil, she thought to herself, she would do all she could to stop him.

Suddenly, he pivoted on his heels and she backpedaled away from the door just as he burst through it. She hid in the shadows, behind the open door, her eyes shut tight in fear he would see her but he kept going. After a minute she followed behind trying to keep her distance to see where he would go. If he entered the bedchamber and found her missing, he would wonder where she was but there was nothing for it. She could not make the room before him but he stopped a few doors down from theirs at Thor's bedchamber and knocked gently. The door opened and Loki entered, a spill of light running into the corridor then disappearing a the door closed behind him. She tiptoed swiftly past the door, praying that the door would not open and was finally able to make her own bedchamber.

She leaped into bed and dove beneath the coverlet though she need not have hurried as he did not soon follow. She lay there waiting until finally sleep overtook her just before Loki returned starting her awake again. She felt the bed sink as he lay down, gathering her in his arms, his lips to her forehead. She sunk against him, her hands entwined in his as she tried to put such fearful thoughts from her head to concentrate on the morrow. They would soon be back in Midgard.


	46. Chapter 46

Fen's bouncing on the bed to wake them, did just that. Eidra opened her eyes and looked at Loki. "We shall have to tie him down. Perhaps you should use your petrifying spell. It works well with your brother."

Loki smiled but her view was soon replaced with Fen's face lying between them. "Is it yet time to go?"

"What about the morning meal?" She drew him to her, kissed his cheek as he struggled to free himself.

"Mama I am too excited to eat."

"Well Cait will not be. She will wish to eat first," Even now she could hear Cait stirring in the cradle as Loki rose to fetch her.

"I cannot wait, Mama!" Fen bounced back off the bed and ran out to the portico, looking out over the railing at the city below.

"Fen you stay well away from there!" Eidra called to him. Loki set Cait in her arms and she felt the heavy wetness at her bottom. "You are soaked my little lamb."

Loki walked out to the portico to stand beside Fen. "When we are on Midgard, you will see many wondrous things. We have let the machine age pass us by here on Asgard. Magic is our machine."

"What will I see, Papa?"

Loki looked out to the Bifrost, some distant. "You shall see horseless wagons, moving paintings, flying machines..."

"Flying machines? So the Midgardians have magic too?" Fen peered over the edge of the railing and Loki put his hand on the collar of his robe,

"Come away, must you give your mother fits?" As if on cue, he heard Eidra. "Loki, will you pull him away from there."

"But you must behave while we are there. Do you ken? You must remember your manners. You will show them the person of a prince of the realm."

"Are you excited Papa? I miss Brenna."

Loki nodded, "I miss her. I would she were coming here instead of us traveling there."

Fen ran back into the room just as Helgi opened the door with a tray of food, "I knew you would be awake."

She brought the tray to the dressing table and sat it down coming over to the bed where Eidra was changing Cait. "She was wet through." Eidra indicated the wet nappy on the marble floor beside the bed.

Helgi sat down, "Are you entirely sure you wish me to go with you today?"

Eidra clucked her tongue, "It is no longer up for discussion. You raised Brenna for six seasons on your own, do you not wish to see her as well?"

"Of course I do." Helgi puffed out her chest, "She is my little lamb."

"It will be fine. There is nothing to fear." Eidra patted her arm, then picked up Cait handing her into Helgi's outstretched arms. "We must hurry and eat, it will soon be time to leave."

Heimdall regarded Loki and Thor with a cynical eye. "What manner of dress do they call this?"

Thor straightened his jacket, "Suits, Heimdall. We wish to fit in on Midgard."

"By all means." Heimdall crossed his massive arms, "One would not expect an Asgardian to stand out." He looked to the women and Fen. "In the very least, they are well attired."

Thor sighed and gave a short bow, "Heimdall, may we pass to the Bifrost?"

Loki heard a mumbled "Oh dear." from Helgi as Heimdall reached for the iron rings of the gates and started to pull backwards on them. They came apart with a loud screech, slowly, revealing the landing pad atop the S.H.I.E.L.D offices, outlined against a steel gray sky. Loki looked behind him at Eidra who held Cait, Helgi gripping Fen's hand tightly, her other hand covering her eyes then he gestured to Thor, "Shall we?" and they stepped through..

...As the hatchway door to the landing pad flipped open. Fury, followed by four other agents and flanked by Tony Stark, approached the group, taking Thor's hand and shaking it. "Thanks for the heads up. We notified Miss Munro at the school that you were expected today."

The wind was sharp, biting but Fury heard the whisper, "Dark elf?" and found the speaker, a short elderly woman watching him with great round eyes.

"No Ma'am, American, Haitian on my mother's side. Let's get out of this wind."

He ushered the group through the hatchway. Eidra, passing the agents, spied Lily who smiled and gave a small wave. Fen tugged Helgi along, exclaiming at everything he saw until, once inside, Loki rescued her taking Fen with him. Stark fell in beside him. "Nice suit. I knew I had good taste. I've got a dress for your wife and a suit for the boy. Didn't expect you to bring your maid with you. I'll have to call Pepper."

Fen kept stumbling as he attempted to take everything in, the massive jet which nearly filled the room they had entered, the agents, Fury. When they reached the elevator doors which slid open, Helgi stepped back, "Whatever is this?"

Stark moved to her side, taking her arm, "My dear lady this is an elevator, a lift if you will. This box will take us to whatever floor we wish to visit."

Helgi pulled her arm from his grasp, "Well I wish to visit this floor. Is there no other way to reach our destination?"

Stark raised an eyebrow to the group, noting Loki's wide smile, "Well there are stairs to each floor but this is much quicker."

"Show me the stairs then. Of them I am sure."

Stark held his hands up in the air, "Anybody?"

Even Fury had to grin as he hit the button for the third floor, "See you in the briefing room." he waved as the door slid shut and the elevator began to descend, putting his hands behind his back, "That was oddly satisfying."

They had been seated for almost five minutes when the briefing room door slid open and in walked Helgi and Stark who flopped into the nearest chair, face red, dripping with sweat, "You guys owe me."

Helgi, on the other hand, shook her head, "You have not done a hard days work in your life have you."

Fury had pulled out a chair for her and with a nod she sat down, Fury leaned over, chuckled "I like you." and stood again, "Now it is almost eight. We'll keep it quick. I expect you to be on the road by eight thirty. It'll take about an hour and a half to reach the school due to traffic at this hour. We are sending on an agent with you just as a precaution. The limousine will return to the school at eight this evening, pick you up and deliver you back here. Are we all on the same page?"

Eidra leaned over to Loki, "Page?"

Thor stood up from the table, "We are in accord."

On the other side of the table, Stark was talking on his cell phone, "Yes, middling age...I don't know." He looked Helgi over, "Two hundred?...Jarvis should have her stats by now, I sent him the picture..." Helgi was staring at him and he acknowledged her with a smile.

"Are you speaking to me, Master Stark?"

He pointed to his cell, "Phone, I'm speaking to my assistant"

Helgi peered closely at the small square in his hand, "That is your assistant?"

He held up his hand to her as he resumed speaking, "What...I don't know, Pepper...kindly old lady style?...ow!" Helgi had given his arm a pinch.

"I will show you old! You could not even keep up on the stairs with me."

He slid his chair away from her, still speaking with Pepper, "And hurry alright? We're on a tight schedule."

Fifteen minutes later, they were standing in the parking garage waiting for the limousine. Eidra was appraising the dress Stark's assistant had brought to the office for Helgi. She'd chosen a navy blue skirt with a matching blazer and a grey blouse. A little cameo sat at the throat. Her shoes being completely forgotten, Helgi wore the boots she'd come with. "I think it looks very nice on you."

Helgi adjusted the blazer, "It is stiff, unforgiving." She shrugged, "The cut is suitable, I suppose."

Eidra looked then to Loki, admiring him. He had chosen to wear the dark grey suit and midnight blue button up shirt Tony had given to him. He had tucked his hair behind his ears and she noted he was chewing his lip as he always did when nervous. A turn of his head and he caught her gaze, giving her a smile, mouthing the words, "You look lovely."

Stark had provided her with a dark green jersey dress, low cut, she was relieved to see. It would make nursing Cait much easier. It clung to her curves, an aspect she lamented though Loki often told her she was as ravishing as the day he'd met her.

Fen had wandered to a nearby car and was hopping up and down to see inside the windows. "How do they move?"

Loki took him by the shoulder, steering him by the shoulder, back to the group, "They are powered by a device called an engine which takes a liquid called gasoline in and converts it to energy, now stay still."

He looked around to see Stark staring at him, "That's a very good description."

Loki felt Fen wrap himself around his arm, "Papa knows everything."

"You know what, he told me the same thing."

Lily tickled Cait under the chin. "I can't believe how big she is now."

Eidra smiled, "She is such a happy baby too. She sleeps through the night most of the time." she wiped Cait's mouth free of drool. "And I believe she is starting to cut teeth. Tell me, do you still knit?"

Lily held up a small scarf draped around her neck, "Yes I do, when I manage to get home at a decent hour, I relax with some mindless TV and my knitting."

"Is it not a joy?" Eidra put her hand on Lily's arm, "I do wish we would be able to see some new patterns while we were here. I would love to show Helgi. She would be beside herself, she taught me to knit."

Helgi stepped back when the limousine came to a halt before them and the driver hopped out. Stark was already opening the door for them. Fen shot forward, clear to the other side of the car, his face pressed against the tinted window. Lily slid in next and held her hands out to Eidra, "I'll strap the baby in the car seat."

Eidra handed her off as they all filed in. Helgi stood apart, staring at the front of the limo until finally Stark tapped her on the arm, "Please don't tell me you'd rather walk."

She glanced at the door, "Is there a choice?"

Stark shook his head, "Not this time."

She closed her eyes, opened them, and climbed inside to sit beside Eidra. Stark was the last in, the door shutting behind him as he settled in next to Thor. "Okay then, everyone ready?"

Helgi pulled Fen down to sit beside her, "No."

"Good," He tapped on the long window behind his head.

After a few minutes, when the panic had worn off, Helgi sat with Fen, peering in wonder at the city outside the window.

"Papa, there are so many palaces here."

Loki could see the buildings rising high above them through the skylight, fighting back a half remembered scene in the back of his mind.

"They are filled with people who live there but they are not palaces. They are called skyscrapers."

"So," Stark had stretched his legs out and leaned back into the seat, "How are things down on the farm?"

Loki watched Fen point at the line of yellow taxis outside, "It is our quiet time. We hunt most often now. Our mare was delivered of a foal just recently."

"Papa named him Agathon." Fen piped up.

Thor kept an eye on Stark, concerned he was baiting his brother, "He has a fine farm, with large fields."

"Do you give tours?" Stark nudged him and Thor tensed as Loki turned his attention to the conversation.

"If I were willing to do so, you would be the first guest on my list."

Stark looked at Thor, then back to Loki and back to Thor once again as Loki returned his gaze to the window, "Tony Stark speechless, I do believe history has been made."

Tony stared around the limousine, slapped his hands on his knees, "Anyone care for a drink?"

Sophie pulled Brenna's hair back for the third time, trying to twist it into a french roll. Brenna, meanwhile, was dabbing at her eyes, sniffling.

"Brenna, you have got to pull yourself together." Sophie muttered.

Brenna nodded and Sophie groaned as the roll slipped through her fingers, "Okay next time just say yes, don't move."

"I am sorry. I am so very worried. A whole day with my family? With my father? And my boyfriend and my best friend?"

"Hey, what am I going to do wrong?"

Brenna waved her hands at Sophie, "Oh no, I did not mean it to come out like that. I am not worried about your actions, rather I am worried about the impression my family will make upon everyone else."

Sophie pulled the two rolls together and secured them at the back of Brenna's head with a heart shaped barrette. "That's so pretty. Go look."

Brenna stood before the bathroom mirror, turning her head from side to side, "I love it but look at my face. It is all red from crying."

"Well then stop crying." Sophie took a wash cloth, wet it with cold water and patted Brenna's face. "Now let's get your makeup on then you can put on your dress. There's going to be plenty of things for them to do. Miss Munro is going to give them a tour of the school, that will take up some time."

"And parade my father around the school for all to see."

"So, my parents come here. It doesn't bother me if people see them."

Brenna felt the anger rising to the surface as she thought for the thousandth time about what Mister Stark had showed her. She had admitted, but only to Chase, she was afraid for the students to see her father, had admitted she did not want them to confirm what she was convinced had been all lies. What if they panicked? What if they recognized him from pictures, there seemed to be enough of them online, and of good enough quality. She knew her father, was sure that he was incapable of murder, the students, though, did not, could not because they did not know him.

She felt more tears coming and slapped her hands onto the porcelain of the sink. "I cannot do this!"

Sophie sat down on the closed toilet, elbows on her knees, "Keep saying that and you'll have yourself convinced you can't. Come on Bren, aren't you the least bit happy they're coming?"

She nodded, "Sophie, I cannot wait to see my mother and my little brother and sister."

"Gee, why do you hate your father so much?" Sophie stood up and took her makeup bag, setting on the back of the toilet.

Brenna spun around, "I do not hate my father!" She took the towel hanging over the towel rack and wiped her face dry, "I fear him. I hate when he yells at me, when he disapproves of everything I do. When he treats me as a child."

"I get scared of my dad too when I've done something wrong, and he yells at me, and disapproves of things I do but I know he loves me."

"How?"

Sophie unscrewed the face powder jar, "He tells me."

"He does?"

"Well yes, all the time. Whenever we talk on the phone, he ends by saying, "bye darlin' I love you." And I say it back." She started to dust Brenna's face with the fine powder to even out her skin, then paused. "Didn't your father do the same when he left to go somewhere, or when he came home, or when you went to bed at night? Kiss and a hug?"

"I kiss and hug my mother. I bid my father good night respectfully." she bit her lip, no more tears today. Not one.

"Wow, Bren, I'm sorry...I don't know what to say."

"There is nothing to say, it is how he is. We have never kenned one another."

Sophie reached for her blush, "Well," she started to brush color along Brenna's cheekbones,

"now is as good a time to change as any."

Fen lay half across Helgi's lap, asleep. Eidra too, had succumbed to the movement of the limo, leaning into the car seat, her hand resting on the car seat before a sleeping Cait. Loki reached over and shook her knee, "My heart, look."

Eidra's eyes flew open as she stared about the interior, "What?" felt the limo turn and was able to catch a glimpse of a stone arch with black iron gates thrown wide, "Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters" Loki read aloud.

Fen's head came up from Helgi's lap, "Are we there yet."

Lily laughed, "It seems no matter where you go, children ask the same question."

Brenna was buttoning up her dress. She'd chosen her green linen number with the miniature pink roses and a pair of black flats. She was down to the last two buttons when she happened to look out the window in her room and saw a long black limousine winding up the driveway. She felt cold fingers race up her spine and jumped as a knock came at her doorway and Chase entered with Sophie behind him.

"Hey, you ready? Aren't they going to be here pretty soon?"

She pointed out the window, "They already are."


	47. Chapter 47

The limo swung around a circular drive to stop before the front steps of the mansion. As the driver opened the door for them, Loki spied the white haired woman he had spoken to when he had first been to the school to find Brenna. She was standing at the bottom of the steps leading into the school. Beside her was a man with dark hair, wild, like he'd just come from a fight. His eyes flitted back and forth, his stance as if he were ready to pounce at any moment, arms at his side ready to swing. Loki could only liken him to an animal. He exited the car after Stark who was already shaking hands with the man and Miss Munro. Eidra stepped from the car next, he helping her to stand. She held out her hands to Lily who handed Cait up then got out of the car herself, practically pushed from behind by Fen who leaped out to run to Loki. "Papa, another palace!"

Thor stepped out, then turned and offered his hand to the empty door, "Come now, we are already here, Helgi."

Slowly, Helgi stepped from the limousine, staring up at the facade of the great mansion before her, gliding over to stand beside Eidra who turned and gasped, "Oh, Mister Stark, my packet in the trunk."

Stark nodded to the driver who was at the rear of the limo at once. He brought the leather satchel to Eidra. Lily took it and draped it over her shoulder.

Miss Munro approached the group, followed by the man who was now smiling. She stopped at Loki and shook his hand, he felt the strength of a confident woman in her grip. "It's good to see you again in a more pleasant atmosphere."

Loki nodded to her, "Indeed, may I introduce my wife Eidra and my youngest daughter, Cait."

Miss Munro nodded, "Welcome to our school."

"And my son Fen." He pulled Fen back to stand before him, "My brother I believe you know."

Thor took Miss Munro's hand and bussed it lightly, "Madam."

"And I must not forget Helgi, our housekeeper and friend."

Miss Munro smiled at the older woman who was staring at her, "Welcome."

Helgi could only nod.

"This is one of our teachers," She put a hand on Logan's shoulder, "Logan. He will be coming with me when I give you the tour of the school."

Miss Munro turned to the group, "If you will all follow me into the reception area. I'll send for Brenna."

The group started forward except Thor and Stark. Loki turned to them, "What, you are leaving already?"

Thor reddened a bit, "When I spoke to Miss Foster the week last, I told her I would be arriving by the eleventh hour and she is a distance away from here."

Loki put a hand on his shoulder, "Very well, you must come inside upon your return though. Brenna will be hurt if you do not."

Thor put his hand on Loki's shoulder in turn, "Brother, enjoy your stay and mind your temper."

"I will do my best."

Thor re-entered the limo. Stark turned to Loki then, "We'll be back around eight, like the big guy said, don't lose your cool and start breaking shit okay?" He clapped Loki on the arm and got into the limo.

Loki watched the limo pull away then rejoined the group waiting for him at the door.

Brenna heard the knock at her door and her heart began to pound.

"Come on." Chase stood up from the bed as Sophie opened the door for Miss Munro.

"Your family is here, Brenna." Miss Munro was smiling at her but she felt too stunned to smile back, instead she followed her out of her room and down the hallway with Chase and Sophie in tow.

"The paintings that move!" Fen cried. He had pressed his hands to a small TV in a corner of the reception area. On the screen was a commercial for dog food and blond puppies now tumbled across the screen towards him. "Papa, look!"

Loki sighed. It was inevitable. All the technology he had encountered over the years had at first dazzled, then disgusted him when he saw how Midgardians used it to make their people lazy, rebellious, feeding them propaganda every minute of every day, dulling their minds.

He steered Fen away from the screen though Fen craned his neck around to watch it regardless, "Papa look, look!"

"I have seen it Fen, now hush."

Eidra and Lily sat on a couch with Cait. Helgi stood stock still, hands clasped before her, head seeming on a swivel as she gazed about the room. He heard footsteps on the stairway in the foyer and looked at Eidra who was watching the archway. When she broke into a smile, Loki looked up to see Miss Munro leading Brenna and two young people he did not know. Eidra stood up and opened her free arm, Brenna rushing to her and throwing her arms about her, mindful of Cait who squeaked with excitement.

"Oh Mama, I have missed you so very much!" She sobbed into Eidra's shoulder, felt a hand at her back and turned to see Helgi, "Helgi! You came too!" she pulled her into the hug, arms around her waist had her looking down into Fen's smile, "Brenna!"

"Little worm!" Gathering him in, laughing.

Loki stood there, apart, hands behind his back, watching them until he was aware of two pairs of eyes regarding him. His gaze swung to the two young students who had accompanied Brenna. The girl immediately looked away but the boy held his gaze for a moment. His eyes narrowed, he regarded the boy curiously.

Eidra put her hand to Brenna's head, "Go greet your father now."

Chase had been steeling himself to approach Loki and shake hands with him but Brenna was now standing before him.

She held out her hand and Loki took it, disheartened to feel her trembling, "Hello Father, welcome to my school." She gave a slight curtsey, heard him swallow and she looked up, catching a glimpse of unguarded sadness before it was eclipsed by his usual stern demeanor.

"How fare you. Are they treating you well here?"

Brenna smiled, "Yes, very well."

"She's a good student." Miss Munro had moved beside them, "She works in the library three nights a week, volunteers to help with the younger grades. She's very good with children."

Loki watched Fen hanging about Brenna's waist while she hugged his head, "She is at that. You have a system to judge how well a student is doing. Tell me, how does she do in that respect?"

Miss Munro put a hand at Brenna's back, "She does very well. She has a B in Current Events, A's in the other classes. She's a quick learner."

Loki wore a blank expression on his face, "Please elaborate."

"It means I am doing very well, Father."

Lily had been standing beside Eidra, watching the exchange between Loki and Brenna, the one word she would have had to use to describe the scene would have been painful." The both of them were ill at ease. Lily thought Brenna seemed almost frightened.

Brenna motioned to Sophie and Chase who were behind her. "Father, this is my best friend, Sophie." He watched the young dark blond haired girl walk up to him, amused by the expression of awe she wore.

"Best friend? A strange term." He took up her hand and covered it with his own, "I am pleased to meet you."

"Me too," She curtsied like Brenna had taught her, "I mean likewise, darn it. I'm sorry, I don't get to meet royalty every day. I'm a little nervous."

His grin surprised Brenna, "Indeed? Has my daughter not told you she is also a princess?"

Sophie was redder than Brenna had ever seen her as she giggled, "Well yes but I mean, she's just Brenna to me. It's sort of hard to imagine when we're on her bed surrounded by homework and chips and dip."

"I am a prince."

Sophie looked to her left where Fen stood with his hand out. Sophie bent down, took his hand and shook it. "Pleased to meet you, your Highness."

"Forgive my son, he has yet to learn to excuse himself before he speaks."

Fen stared wide eyed at Loki, "I am sorry Papa." turned back to Sophie and cleared his throat, "Excuse me, I am also a prince." leaving Sophie to hide a giggle behind her hand as she curtsied to him.

"And this," Brenna had reached for Chase but he was already walking forward, finishing her sentence, "I'm Chase Wells, nice to meet you."

Loki took his hand, feeling the firm grip, returning the pressure in kind. He saw Brenna's face then, holding Chase's hand a moment longer, "And you are also Brenna's friend?"

Chase faltered, Loki felt his grip relax as if he wished to let go, then the pressure return, "Yes sir." he searched Chase's face, finally letting his hand go. "I see."

Brenna had to bite her tongue to keep from speaking up, so frustrated was she that Chase had claimed he was just a friend and she looked away as Chase returned to her side.

"Why don't we start the tour of the school. You can leave your things here, we'll be coming back to this room after. Some classes will be in session. I'll try to introduce you to Brenna's teachers if they're free." Miss Munro nodded to Logan, "Starting with our Self Defense instructor, Logan."

Loki shook his hand, a hard pump, "Nice to meet ya," Logan glanced at Miss Munro, "Now can I go?"

"No, I would like you to come with us."

He rolled his eyes, "No rest for the wicked. Let's get going then."

Brenna fell in beside Eidra as they entered the foyer and started up the stairs leaving Chase, Sophie and Lily to bring up the rear.

Chase watched Brenna's back while he whispered to Sophie, "I just couldn't do it. Not yet. Geez."

Sophie gave him a withering look, "Well you'd better get some balls before the end of the day mister."

Brenna heard them talking but ignored them, "Mama, I am so happy to see you." She held out her hands, "Let me carry Cait for a while."

"Thank you," Eidra handed her over to Brenna and shook her arms out, "She is getting heavy. Watch yourself, she is a hair puller."

"Do they feed you here?" Helgi had caught up on her right, "I declare you have lost weight."

Brenna was rubbing noses with Cait, "Of course they feed me Helgi, but I do miss your cooking. They treat their food with strange potions here to make them last long before spoiling and it does not agree with me."

Helgi took her arm, "When you come home, I will prepare a right feast."

Halfway down the corridor, they came to Brenna's door. "This is your daughter's room," Miss Munro gestured for Brenna to come forward, "Some of the rooms are double occupancy, some are single like hers. Brenna would you like to show your family your room?"

She ran through a quick mental relay of her room, opened the door and held it as they all filed in.

Miss Munro continued, "They have their own bathrooms, sitting area for company, a desk, a wardrobe or a closet depending on the design, and a bed. They're required to do their own laundry and keep the room neat." she chuckled, "For a teenager that is."

Loki scanned the room, spying the laptop open on the desk at the same time Brenna did. She had left it on when Miss Munro had come for her. He walked over to it, leaned over and put his hands on either side of the keyboard, staring at the screen. "Who, might I ask, is this?"

Brenna winced. She had set as a background, an actor she'd come to like, "He is a movie star, Father, his name is Leonardo DiCaprio."

As he was studying the image, Fen popped up in front of him and cried, ""He is ugly! Why is he not moving like the other painting?"

Loki looked down at the top of Fen's head, "Because this is a picture."

Fen's hand had begun to wander towards the keyboard but Loki pulled it back, "What did I tell you about touching what is not yours?"

Fen peered around Loki's waist at Brenna, "Might I touch the picture?"

"No, you little worm, you called Leo ugly." She heard Chase and Sophie snicker behind her.

"Brenna," Loki stood and turned around.

She had been about to argue her point when she felt Eidra's hand on her arm, giving it a squeeze.

"I am sorry Father, No you may not touch the laptop."

Fen's hand was inches from the keyboard again when Loki swung him around, "Awww!"

Eidra followed him around the room as he inspected it, into the bathroom, the sitting area, even pressing down on the mattress.

"What is he hoping to find?" Helgi muttered to Brenna.

Finally he returned to the group, "It is well appointed. She has everything she needs?"

Miss Munro nodded, "Her tuition, just as it is for many of the children in the school, is paid by benefactors who are sympathetic to the mutant cause, extra money she earns, as I said, by working in the library. Clothes are often donated, passed down from students who graduate or leave for other schools."

Loki cast one more glance about the room as Miss Munro held out her hand, "If you're ready, we can head to the classrooms."

They filed out of the room behind Miss Munro. As Brenna started forward, she felt a hand at her shoulder. It was Chase. She went to jerk away but he held firm, "Brenna come on." he whispered, "Don't be mad at me, please." Sophie had stopped but seeing the look Brenna's face, decided to follow the rest of the group.

"He will think you are a coward, or worse, a liar." She shifted Cait, "I do not want him to disapprove of you."

"I know, I know." He glanced at the group who hadn't yet noticed they were behind, and then leaned closer, "I promise I'll do it. I'll ask him before the day is out."

"Swear it?"

He was close enough to kiss her but didn't dare, "Cross my heart, hope to die."

"Brenna?"

They had noticed. Brenna looked up, trying to keep her expression even. "Coming."

She trotted up to them, Cait making a sing song squeal as she bounced, "I was talking to Chase."

She caught her father's stare then and could feel the color drain from her face as they proceeded down the hall to the stairs at the other end. Loki had fallen back to walk with Eidra and their heads were bowed together, talking.

Lily, bringing up the rear, leaned over to Brenna and said quietly, "If you're trying to hide something, that wasn't the way to do it."

Brenna gave a wry smile, "I see this."

They stopped at the gymnasium first where Miss Munro explained the sports programs available to the students. Logan nodded, "This is my territory, where I teach self defense."

Loki assessed him, "There is a great need for this in the school?"

He shrugged, "I don't know about the school but it helps once the kids are out in the real world. I mean most of them, you don't want to cross, but then again, it's better to learn how to avoid a fight."

"And you have taught my daughter this?"

Logan chuckled, "Well I've tried, yeah. She's not much of a thrower but she's got a strong punch and she could crack glass with the set of lungs on her."

"Of that I am aware." Loki looked at Brenna, "She was famous for her tantrums when she was a child."

Eidra gave him a withering glance but he ignored it and soon Miss Munro was ushering them from the gym, "Let's see the other classrooms."

They peeked into the History classroom which was being taught by Professor Summers. Brian was in the front row and waved frantically when he saw them. Brenna had to laugh at his awestruck expression.

Cait had started to fuss and Eidra took her again, "She is getting hungry,"

Miss Munro paused, "Do you want to stop somewhere and feed her?"

"No, she will hold off a bit longer."

"Wait a minute." Chase spoke up, dashing ahead of them into a little lighted alcove, returning a minute later with a small package.

"Vending machines, they always have these." He opened a small package of shortbread cookies, "My grandmother used to give these to me all the time. They soften slowly so she can suck on them."

Eidra took one of the cookies from Chase and sniffed it, "It smells like the biscuits I make for Winternights." She put the end of the cookie in Cait's mouth and and at first she pushed it out with her tongue but, getting a taste, started to mouth it.

"Thank you, this may work." Eidra smiled at him.

"Anything to help." He returned the smile until he caught Loki staring at him and it faded.

"Okay then let's continue on." Miss Munro led them to two more classrooms, Science and the Art room though both were empty.

The next classroom they arrived at was towards the end of the hall. Students were filing out, passing them, staring as they waited for the doorway to clear. "This is Brenna's math class. Come on in."

Miss Munro waved to Nala who had just finished erasing the smart board. "Is it okay to come in? Brenna's family is here."

"Sure," she put the eraser down, turned and felt behind her for her chair. She could see him, could see he looked human but it seemed like a veil drawn over his true form. His eyes, the same ones she saw every morning when she looked into the mirror. His skin a cerulean blue, muted, the markings on his face different from hers. It was as if she was looking at a double exposure. Stranger than that was the fact that he wore much the same expression on his face as he looked at her.

"Nala is our math teacher," Miss Munro was at once concerned as Nala sat down hard in her seat, "She's also going to have a baby soon. Hopefully not right this minute."

Nala shook her head finally finding her tongue, "No, not, no...I'm fine. Just a little dizzy, must be the thin atmosphere up here." Her standard joke brought chuckles from the teenagers but the man and the woman who was holding a baby, kept staring at her. She had to do something.

"I teach intermediate math, um, algebra, trig, business, some basics." She forced herself to stand again, walking to a file cabinet on the other side of her desk and finding Brenna's homework file. "I have some of her papers here if you're interested in looking at them."

Loki approached the desk slowly, his hand extended for the sheaf of papers she held out to him. As he took them, he kept his voice low, "You are Jotun."

She stared down into his eyes, "Your daughter told me. I was adopted, I had no idea. You.."

He shook his head though he was now looking at the papers, "They do not know." his voice was barely a whisper, "Please do not say anything."

He could hear Fen behind him, "She is a giant, Mama!

She felt somehow that she mustn't touch him, that to do so would bring about a change in him. Nala looked up, locking eyes with Eidra who held her baby tight.

"She is doing fine work then?"

Nala fidgeted with a folder on her desk, "She's caught up with students in her grade. She now attends the class with all of the others. No more one on one."

He set the papers down on the desk and she took note of the markings on the back of his hand, an elaborate design that seemed to mean something to her. If anyone could tell her about her heritage, he could.

"If you ever need to discuss her grades or have any questions, Miss Munro has my number."

Eidra had walked up to the desk and was now leaning over to look at the papers. She then raised her eyes to Nala. "I did not know Jotuns had visited this realm."

"Neither did I." Nala smiled though it wavered, "I don't know a thing about where I come from." She looked at Loki again who had straightened up but did not meet her gaze.

"I wish that I could help you but I have never been to Jotunheim." She waited for Loki to respond but he was silent.

Miss Munro cleared her throat, "Why don't we continue to the last room, Professor Wagner should be there, he teaches Theology. We'll let Nala get ready for her next class."

Eidra nodded politely to her as they walked away though she still seemed stunned.

Nala watched them leave and eased herself back into the chair, rubbing her swollen belly, wishing fervently that she was able to drink because she really needed one.

They headed up another flight of stairs to the next floor, Eidra puffing as they reached the top.

Loki turned to her, "Let me take Cait." But Eidra drew her away.

"No she is all cookie, you will get it all over your suit." She wiped Cait's mouth with a linen cloth she'd brought.

Lily stepped up, "Let me take a turn. I love babies."

Eidra handed Cait over, "Are you sure?"

"Oh yeah,"

Eidra draped the cloth over her shoulder.

"I apologize in advance for your dirty suit, then."

They came to another door, Miss Munro pushing it open. "Kurt"

Kurt had been bent over a pile of tests, head in hand, making marks on the papers and he sat back abruptly.

"Mein Gott," He stood up, surveying the group that now stood in his classroom. "Come in, I vas just grading papers. I tend to zone out."

Miss Munro brought Loki and Eidra forward, "These are Brenna's parents. Loki and Eidra."

Kurt smiled even through their shocked stares, in fact, he would have been stunned if they hadn't stared.

"I am Professor Wagner. I teach theology, Current Events, and I also have a fencing class, so my plate is pretty full, ja?"

Loki narrowed his eyes but held out his hand and Kurt shook it, noting that he turned his wrist.

"I suppose God thought I could manage with three fingers."

Loki let go, taken aback that Kurt had noted his scrutiny. "Forgive me."

Kurt waved a hand at him, "Ach, I have lived vith this all my life."

He stepped away from his desk and turned around, "Feel free to stare."

Fen who had moved forward, was taking full advantage of the invitation, pulling at Eidra's hand, "Mama, this one has a tail!"

He heard Eidra gasp. "Ah yes, das is unique is it not?"

To his surprise, Loki was grinning, "You have no fear."

"No, vat is there to fear from being looked at," He returned to his desk, "Now, your daughter is a bright student. I teach her current events. I started her immersion into der culture here by exposing her to newspapers, magazines, having her write essays. She has learned much, she is very articulate."

Eidra felt Loki's arm slide about her waist, "So by all accounts, she is doing well?"

"Ja, very well, she has expressed an interest in a career in nursing, haven't you?"

Brenna, startled that he had called attention to her, stepped forward. "Yes sir."

Behind them, students had started to trickle in to the room and Miss Munro turned to the group, "Another class is coming in, we'll let Kurt get to his work."

Loki regarded him a moment longer and with a nod, turned and followed Miss Munro out. Brenna was bringing up the rear, almost out of the classroom when she heard a couple of girls whispering to each other, "Oh my god, he's gorgeous."

Brenna slowed, trying to hear what they were saying next but they had moved away from her. She turned to see who they were looking at but they were staring past her. She knew Chase was outside in the hall. The only other person they could mean was her father. She grimaced, whispering to herself, "Gods no." as she left the classroom.

As she caught up with the group, she heard her mother speaking in a whisper to her father, "Nursing, she would have to have a baby first and that will not happen for quite some time. How does one.."

"Mama," She locked arms with her, "What the professor means by nursing is a profession where you help the sick by caring for them in the hospitals, the same people who helped you with Cait when you were here on Midgard."

"Nursing...nurses..." She put a hand to her face, "Oh! Oh my that is what he meant?" Her cheeks started to redden, "I feel ignorant."

"No, Mama. You have only learned something new."

Miss Munro proceeded to show them the Dining hall and the library, fielding their questions as she went.

Finally, they were back in the reception room, Helgi dropping into an easy chair. "Such a vast manor house. I have had enough walking today to last me the rest of my life."

"You did not have to take the stairs with Stark, you know." Loki remarked.

Miss Munro put her hands together, "Now I will leave you to visit, look around on your own if you like. I would suggest a stroll about the grounds but it's pretty cold out there today. That might be a better idea in the spring. Brenna has told me that she and her friends are going to make dinner for you this afternoon. Enjoy your stay and if you need anything, give me a call." She looked at Logan, "Now you can go."

Logan grinned, shaking Loki's hand, "Excuse me, I have a date."

As he trotted out of the room, Miss Munro shook her head, "And if you'll excuse me, I have work to attend to."

They were finally alone then. Eidra sat down on the couch, having taken Cait back from Lily. She settled her in the crook of her arm, exposing one breast. Brenna saw Chase look away and she giggled, sitting beside her mother, watching Cait latch on, her tiny hand caressing the swell of her mother's breast, her eyes fixed on her face.

Fen had run to the large TV again, Loki following behind him, "Fen,"

Sophie followed them, "Here let me give him something worth watching." She picked up the remote control, changing the station.

Fen's mouth dropped open, "What are these paintings?" He laughed at the cat who had run into the wall in pursuit of a mouse.

"They're called cartoons. These are old Tom and Jerry's." She put the controller down on a coffee table while Fen continued to stand, staring at the screen.

"Oh Brenna," Eidra cried, "Fetch my satchel, I have something for you."

Brenna brought the satchel to set it in front of the couch.

"Now open it."

She did so, drawing out a dark blue knitted shawl, "Mama, for me?"

"To keep the drafts away."

Brenna leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, "I shall never take it off."

Eidra smiled as Brenna tickled Cait under the chin, watching her eyes flit to hers then back to her mother's again. "She is so sweet, Mama."

Eidra stroked Cait's cheek, "She is. Babies are a joy. I shall not have much of a break in between this time."

Slowly her statement sank in and Brenna sat back, "Oh no, Mama not again! How could you?"

Eidra smiled at Cait, "What do you mean?"

"Does he mean to keep you perpetually with child? Really, Mother." She whispered fiercely.

Eidra looked over to where Loki had drawn Fen over to sit on the couch and was currently watching the scene on the TV, Fen leaning against him.

"Do you not think I was a willing participant?"

"Ewww! Mother!" Brenna put a hand to her mouth.

"Oh Brenna, stop it. Someday you shall see for yourself." Her gaze slid to Chase who was standing some distant though he too was watching the TV screen. "You will love someone enough to marry them and start your own family."

Brenna relaxed onto her mother's shoulder, "I worry about you. You had such trouble with Cait."

Eidra tipped her head to rest on Brenna's, "My child, we shall be ready this time, your father promised."

Brenna looked at her father, "Mama, I had a strange experience a couple moons ago. I was told by a medium that I was being watched over by someone I know."

"A medium? Whatever is that?"

"It is a person who talks to people who have died."

Eidra bit her lip, "And what did this medium say?"

"That I was being watched over by Uncle Chris."

Eidra felt tears prickle her eyes, "Uncle Chris passed on during harvest time."

Brenna sniffed, "I was hoping she was wrong. I am so sorry Mama. Father must have been beside himself."

Eidra could only nod.

"I have missed so much, being away. How fares Aunt Sally?"

"She does as well as can be expected. She misses you."

"I miss her terribly, and Helgi and you and Fen."

"Why do you not come home then?" Eidra moved her breast from a sleeping Cait's mouth, wiping a line of drool away as she rocked her.

"I wish to finish what I started here, Mama. You have seen I am doing well. Does that not make you happy?"

Eidra sighed, "It does indeed. It does not however change the fact that I still wish you home with me."

"I will come home eventually, you must know this. I will not stay away forever." She rubbed Eidra's arm.

"I will hold you to this."

Loki sat forward, letting Fen sink into the couch as he surveyed the room. There had been so much to take in. He hated that Brenna seemed to have become a model student for the single fact she was now acting like a true Midgardian. He was proud of her, there was no doubt. She had excelled by their standards as he had known she would, but to have to accept the fact that she was becoming part of a world he looked down upon was almost unthinkable.

He glanced at Chase who was laughing at something on the TV screen. He was not what he seemed either. Loki stood up from the couch, watching Chase flinch and look at him though he passed by without a word to stand before Eidra and Brenna on a couch by a tall window.

"Tell me Brenna, is everyone at this school a, what do you call them...mutant? Even the Professors?"

Brenna nodded, "Most of them yes. There are a couple of professors that aren't. The women who work in the dining hall, the custodian, they are all without talents. That is what Miss Munro calls our gifts, talents. Even the house mother Grace is telepathic."

Loki whirled around to Sophie who was sitting talking to Helgi and Lily on a short loveseat.

"You, young lady who claims to be my daughter's best friend."

"Sophie." Brenna added.

"Ah yes, Sophie, my apologies, what is your talent?"

Sophie at once seemed flustered, "I can project an image with my mind. I've been working on making it seem as solid as I can. I think I've improved."

Loki put out his hands, "Show me."

Sophie's hands were trembling but she put out one palm and closed her eyes, focusing on one image she had practiced on countless times before. The air above her hand started to shimmer and wave as the outline of a pink stuffed bunny appeared, becoming more solid as seconds went on until it formed, opaque, then brighter. Loki put his finger out, stopping, looking at Sophie.

"Go on, I can't guarantee it won't disappear, though."

He touched the image and was surprised to feel that it had some substance, easily broken through but still there was resistance. If she concentrated harder, he thought, she could likely produce a solid object.

"Fascinating." Loki stared at the rabbit as it faded and disappeared. "Have you tried bigger objects?"

"Yeah but I can't get as far as I can with the rabbit. Not much of a skill really."

"Do not downplay your ability." He shook his finger at her, "You must continue to try."

He turned to see Chase watching them.

"Now what might your talent be?"

Loki strode towards him, happy to see he was holding his ground.

"I uh.." He was having trouble finding his words, "I can pause time."

"Ah yes," It finally hit him, "The skill you used when you ferreted my daughter into the hospital."

"Ah...um" He stammered, "Um yeah I guess."

"You guess?" He put his hands on his hips, "Did you or did you not?"

Brenna went to stand, intending to come to Chase's aid but Eidra put her hand out. "Let them be."

"I did sir. I can show you how it works but you have to stay in the sphere outside of my influence. Stay next to me."

He was so close Chase could hear him breathing, nevertheless, he put his hands up. "Now look around you, everyone is talking, moving?"

He passed his hand before him and Loki watched as everything stopped moving. Fen's feet which he'd been kicking up and down while he sat on the couch were suspended in mid air. Brenna's mouth open to speak, Helgi and Lily watching them, Sophie pointing.

"How do we appear to them?"

Chase passed his hand back again, "We become invisible. Like we're stuck between seconds. It's like opening and closing a venetian blind. Open, you can see the view outside, closed you can't but the view is still there, it's just that the view is being blocked by the blinds themselves and that doesn't make any sense to you does it."

He looked about the room where everyone was staring at them, "It does in fact." Loki glanced at him, "Tell me, what are your intentions towards my daughter?"

Chase was caught off guard and he tilted his head, unsure if he had heard him right. "Excuse me?"

Loki saw Brenna, her hands clasped before her. "Your intentions toward my daughter, what are they?"

Chase swallowed hard, steeled himself, "Sir, I would like permission to court your daughter."

Dead silence permeated the room save for the sound of funny music coming from the TV.

Loki looked over to Eidra then back again to Chase who stood there, his resolve crumbling brick by brick.

"Court her?"

"Yes sir."

Loki walked to the couch where Brenna sat, eyes raised to him.

"What can you offer her?" Loki stuck his hands behind his back.

"Offer her? What do you mean?"

Loki gave an exasperated sigh, "Gods, are you titled? Have you land? What are your prospects for the future?"

"Chase, he means to ask what you plan to do after school." Brenna's face was hopeful, wide eyed.

"Oh, right, um...I'm an ace at computer technology. I was considering going into computer programming. There's incredible money in it."

Loki nodded, "Your family, what are their titles. What do they do?"

"Father!" Brenna cried but Loki held out his hand.

"My dad, he's a doctor...a physician. My mom is a professional divorcee." he meant the remark about his mother as a stab at humor but Loki's face stayed serious.

"Your mother does not reside with your father?"

"No sir," Chase glanced at Brenna who had now hidden her face behind her hands. "They've been divorced for years."

Loki walked to one of the tall windows beside the couch, staring out at the vast front lawn of the manor, the road they had driven up to get there. He saw Eidra looking at him out of the corner of his eye.

"I must think upon it."

Eidra set Cait in Brenna's arms, stroking her hair, then stood and walked over to stand beside Loki where she said quietly, "Do you not like him?'

He weighed his answer, "He comes from a broken home. It is not a question of like, but a question of whether he be appropriate."

"Even here on Midgard, people will be as they are, with the same emotions, dreams, failures, successes. Look at us."

She interlaced her fingers with his, felt him squeeze, "Does that mean I should simply accept him?"

Eidra wrapped her other arm around his, resting her cheek against the cool fabric of his suit, "It means you should not judge him based on the sins of his parents." She had come close to saying, "And he will hopefully not do likewise." but she kept her tongue. Such a serious discussion was better started in the privacy of their own home.

Sophie, meantime, had gotten up from the couch. "We should be starting the prep for the dinner. Why don't we all move to the staff kitchen?"


	48. Chapter 48

Sophie showed Eidra and an amazed Helgi about the kitchen as Brenna took the chickens from the refrigerator, stealing a glance every so often at her father who stood at the other side of the island with a pensive look upon his face. Chase had drawn out a cutting board and was chopping potatoes, tossing them into a pot before him. Lily sat at one of the tables with Cait who was now awake and had been given a spoon to play with.

"And you make the flame with a turn of this circle?" Helgi bent over, "These symbols, what do they mean?"

"That's how you set the temperature." Sophie took hold of one of the circles and turned it to three seventy-five, listening as the pilot lit.

"Inconceivable." She muttered as Eidra smiled, "Imagine no wood to chop?"

Brenna slid down to Chase, aware that her father was watching them, "You did very well."

Chase frowned, "Did I? I can't tell, he hasn't said anything yet."

"Do not be so negative, Chase."

Logan walked into the kitchen, headed for the refrigerator and stopped short. "Ah sorry guys, didn't know anyone was in here. Just headed to the fridge for a couple of beers."

"Not a problem, Professor." Sophie was setting one of the chickens in a shallow baking pan, "We're just setting up dinner."

He met Loki's gaze and nodded to him as he reached into the refrigerator. As his hand closed around the necks of the bottles, he swore to himself, "might as well rescue the poor guy for a while, he's pretty well outnumbered."

He stretched his fingers around another beer and stood up, "Hey pal,"

Loki looked over to him and he waggled the beers. At first Loki was confused until Logan crooked a finger at him. He glanced at Eidra who was behind him talking with Lily at the table, then back at Logan finally turning to Eidra again, "Eidra? The professor wishes to show me around the school a bit more."

Eidra looked past Loki to Logan who had his hands behind his back, waiting patiently.

"I suppose it is alright but do not be gone overlong," She looked to Brenna who was talking with Helgi and Sophie.

"Of course, my heart." He strode over and kissed her on the cheek then followed Logan out of the kitchen.

Once in the corridor, Logan handed him a beer. "Nicely played. You looked like you needed a little relief."

He took the beer gingerly, inspecting the bottle. Logan grabbed the top and twisted it off, letting the cool steam flow out and Loki sniffed the mouth. "Interesting." and took a swallow. "It is weaker than our ale, still..." another swallow, "it will do."

"Come on to the gym, Kurt made a bet with one of the teachers and I wanna see him take the guy down a notch."

Loki could hear the laughter in the kitchen, the chatter, "They will miss me."

"Ah, live a little will ya?" He steered Loki down the hall, "Besides whether Scott or Blue boy wins, it'll be a good fight."

Kurt had his face mask in his hand when Logan walked in with Loki in tow. Kurt raised an eyebrow, pointing with his epee at Logan who only waved at him as they took a seat on the bleachers. Kurt stood on one end of a long mat, his opponent whom Loki recognized as Brenna's history teacher, Professor Summers.

"Tell me, why does he wear such strange things on his face?"

Logan laughed and Scott turned to look at him, "Those things protect us from getting holes blasted in our middles. His vision can melt steel. I'd have him show if he wasn't such a tool. This is gonna be good."

Loki took another swig of the beer and settled back against the bleachers to watch.

Back and forth Kurt and Scott went, one gaining then the other. "It is much more civil than where I come from."

"Well hell they don't want to kill each other. They're just settling the age old question, who's better than who." He saw Loki had downed half the beer, "Not bad huh."

Loki held the bottle up, "It is not."

"Your old lady gonna get hot if you get drunk?" Logan chuckled.

"As children, we are brought up on ale and hard cider. I seldom, if ever, succumb to the effects of spirits."

"I know a guy like that. Can't get drunk, poor bastard. His name is Steve."

Scott seemed to be gaining on Kurt, the clash of epees echoing in the gym. A few students had gathered on the bleachers to watch as well and Logan saw another one slip in through the gym doors and stop mid run to stare at Loki before he continued on.

Loki felt the bleachers bounce as the student approached them and sat down next to Logan.

"Hey Professor," he leaned over, looking past him to Loki, "Uh, you Brenna's dad right?"

Loki sat up straight, "I am."

Brian smiled, held out his hand across Logan's lap, "I'm Brian, I'm one of your daughter's friends."

"Hey! Ain't you got manners?" Logan cried as Loki shook Brian's hand.

"Sorry, professor. Where is everybody else? Last I saw y'all you's with Brenna and Miss Munro."

"We ditched them in the kitchen alright?" Logan pushed him back onto the bleacher, "Now watch if you're gonna."

"Oh, right." Brian sat back but every few moments, he'd steal a glance over at Loki who by now had finished his beer and was rolling the empty bottle in his hands.

"Cut it out, kid, you're acting like a creeper." Logan muttered.

"My bad." he replied, sitting back again.

Kurt took off his face plate and grinned as cheers echoed about the gym, offering his hand to a sweating Scott who pumped his hand a couple times and started to undo his gear as Kurt walked to the bleachers.

"Vell, Loki, how do you like der art of fencing?"

"It is much too mild for my taste, it is a game more of skill, expertise."

"And das is what I just showed to Mister Summers." He held his hand out and Logan placed a beer in it.

"You have never fenced, I gather."

Loki smiled, "I am skilled with the sword and close combat. My brother cannot best me with the sword."

Kurt had taken half the bottle in one swallow, now he put it down and clapped his hands together, "vould you care for a challenge? I vould love to see how far your skills extend."

Loki looked to Logan who shrugged, "Hey pal, it's your funeral." then stood, removing his suit jacket and laying it on the bleacher.

As he walked across the gym to the mat with Kurt, Logan heard behind him, "Oh man, I have gotta put this on Youtube!"

He twisted around and pointed at Brian, "You do and I'll make sure you never see the light of day with the homework you're gonna have."

"Aw man, and to think of the hits I woulda got." Brian put his phone down beside him.

The gear was foreign to him, the epee much lighter than a traditional sword. He would have to get used to its heft. Kurt helped him put the faceplate on.

"Are you sure you vish to challenge me?"

He refrained from wondering aloud how much of a challenge it would actually be, "I relish it. Forgive me if I be a bit rusty."

Kurt laughed then, "And you are sure."

Loki waved him away, "Prepare thyself."

Eidra watched Cait mouth the spoon, wave it to within an inch of her head, mouth it again. All the while she kept a watch on the kitchen doorway, expecting Loki to come through it at any time. Finally, she sighed and handed Cait to Lily. "I am going to take a walk to see if I can find Loki."

Lily put a hand on her arm, "I should go with you."

"I shall be fine. I shan't go far."

But Lily kept her hand on Eidra's arm, "It's also my job to see your family is safe."

Eidra paused, "Why would we not be?" She noticed Brenna watching their exchange and she waved her to the table, "Will you watch Cait for a few minutes. I must fetch your father."

Brenna took Cait, "Is everything alright?"

"Of course it is." She caressed Brenna's cheek, "We will be back."

His muscles ached with the strain and he was breaking a sweat but it felt wonderful to use those long dormant skills. He hadn't had a chance to spar in such a long time, Kurt had overwhelmed him at first but he soon gained the upper hand, nearly tipping him off his feet. He was impressed with Kurt's expertise, his grace in form and movement but he had become used to the epee now. He grunted with effort but his faceplate hid a broad smile.

Eidra and Lily heard the clash of metal coming from the open doors of the gymnasium and they peered inside to see the bleachers occupied with a number of students and some faculty watching two people dressed all in white play with long thin swords. Eidra spied Logan sitting on the bench without Loki.

"Where is my husband then?" She tugged at Lily's jacket, "Let us ask him where he left Loki."

Logan was leaning forward, elbows on his knees, hands together as he watched the match intently, so much so in fact, that he didn't notice the women until they had moved before him.

"Professor Logan, might I ask where my husband is?"

Logan sat back, looking up at Eidra and Lily in surprise. "Ah, uh." He pointed across the gym at the two people sparring and Eidra realized that one of them was quite tall. She sat down heavily on the bleacher beside Logan, with a hand to her mouth whispered, "Odin's beard,"

Lily sat beside her, "What possessed him?"

Logan rolled his eyes, "Jesus, he ain't killing anybody. It's fencing. Sparring."

A cry was heard from across the gym as Loki lunged forward and everyone began clapping and cheering as Kurt removed his faceplate and held out his hand to Loki who had removed his as well and was shaking his hand. "I concede to der higher power."

They turned, about to walk back to the bleachers and Loki saw Eidra sitting there, "You Midgardians have colorful phrases for situations such as this, do you not?"

Kurt nodded, "At dis point I would consider der phrase, Oh shit."

"I shall keep it in mind."

Eidra watched Loki walk to her, undoing the garment he wore over his shirt. "Whatever were you doing?"

He took her hands in his, "I was having a bit of fun. Do not be cross with me."

She brought his hands up to her lips, "I do not wish any trouble. What if you had hurt the professor?"

"I would not, now fret no more."

"I shall not if you will return to the kitchen and visit with us."

He nodded to Kurt and Logan, "I thank you for the diversion. If you will excuse me, I must return to my family."

Logan nodded, "Sure, anytime."

As they walked out of the gym, Kurt looked at Logan, "Have you ever wondered whether Brenna might be right?"

"About?"

Kurt picked up his beer, "About New york being a set up."

"We've seen the footage, Blue boy. The stuff that wasn't released. You and I know the truth."

Kurt finished his beer, "Ja, Ja. It's just hard to reconcile das man vith der man ve saw."

Logan picked up his empty, "Don't know what to tell ya, pal. I guess people change."

Brenna was sitting with Cait, Helgi, Chase and Sophie in the warmth of the kitchen. The smell of the chicken permeated the air. Cait had fallen asleep on her shoulder. When her mother walked in followed by her father and Lily, she noted her father looked a bit disheveled. He was straightening his shirt, his face ruddy.

Eidra glided over to Brenna, "She finally gave in?"

"Right after you left. Where was father?"

Eidra lifted Cait from her, "Why do you not go and ask him?"

"But mother, you might just as easily tell me."

But Eidra had set down at the table, Lily standing behind her and she recognized the look of determination on her mother's face.

Loki was standing at the faucet as Brenna walked over to him, "I cannot recall how to work this water pump."

Brenna took a glass from the cupboard behind them, turning the faucet on and drawing a glass of water, handed it to her father who drained it.

"It is nothing like our well at home."

"I know."

The silence deepened until Brenna asked him, "Where were you?"

"I was learning to fence Midgardian style."

Brenna was shocked, "Professor Wagner showed you?"

"Rather I showed him how to spar Asgardian style." He gave a quick smile which faded, "What do you think I should tell your suitor?"

The question was sudden, his attention never wavered from the stainless steel sink he was now staring into.

"I cannot tell you what to say, Father, because my answer would be self-serving."

He reached out to draw more water and she pointed to the opposite handle, "That is the cold water."

He refilled the glass then, but held it in his hand without drinking it, "What do you know of his family, truly? Only that which he tells you, am I correct?"

She crossed her arms before her, now on the offensive, "Yes, is that not enough?"

"A man will lie if he believes it will help his cause."

Frustration was starting to overwhelm her as she clapped her hands atop her head, her words delivered in an angry whisper,"It is different here on Midgard. Family backgrounds do not matter as much so there is little reason for him to lie. He is honest, trustworthy."

"Background may not be important to Midgardians, but he seeks to court on an Asgardian level and therefore, it matters."

Brenna backed further from him, "So you will say no?"

To her surprise, he gave a short laugh, "You are a world apart here at this school. I doubt my disapproval will carry any weight." He looked over at her, "Do I speak the truth?"

She pulled her gaze away from him but gave no answer.

"I thought as much, should I demand you return home with us then?"

"You could do so," Her eyes flashed angrily, "But I would not remain. I would run again."

The disappointment in his face was painful to witness and she chose to focus her attention elsewhere, on her family sitting at the table, talking.

"This I know to be true." He finished his water, putting the empty glass in the sink, seemed to falter, then straightened up, heading past her to where Eidra sat, watching them.

"Father?"

He stopped at the end of the kitchen island, glancing over his shoulder.

"When will you begin to trust my judgment?"

He tapped his fingers on the counter top, "When I see evidence that it is trustworthy."

Eidra noticed the set of his jaw as he sat down beside her and she looked to Brenna who was leaning on the island, head in her hands.

"What has happened?"

"Nothing."

She sighed, "Very well then, you have nothing to be upset about."

Loki bristled at her play of words but held his tongue.

Brenna felt a pair of arms about her waist as she leaned over the island, trying to calm herself. She stood up to find Fen whom she gathered into a hug.

"Will you come home with us?" He murmured.

"Not this time" She brushed his hair from his upturned face.

"Mama and Papa wish you were home."

She bent over and took his chin in her hand. "I will not be gone forever, I promise."

"Then may I stay with you?" He gave her a wide grin.

"No, you little worm. You're too young to stay here."

"When I am older then?"

She lifted him up with a grunt, surprised at how heavy he'd become.

"Then I shall be out of school."

She didn't have the heart to tell him the basic requirements for the school. He hadn't shown any talents like hers save for a bit of spell magic like Father.

"We shall see. Perhaps I shall put in a good word for you. I shall start by saying "Miss Munro, my little worm of a brother.."

Fen giggled, burying his face in her stomach, "I will be a big worm then."

A shrill beep drew her attention and she set Fen down. "Do you want to help get dinner ready?"

Chase and Sophie were already at the stove.

"No!" But she was already steering him towards the table where plates, silverware and cups had been stacked at the ready.

"Yes you do. Now give each person one cup and one plate each, a fork and a knife."

"Brennnn..." He whined, Loki cutting him short.

"Do as your sister says."

Fen frowned as he began to set the table but when he believed Father could not see him, stuck out his tongue at Brenna who returned the gesture, making Fen giggle again. The exchange tugged at her heart. These were the times, the things she missed about being home.

Chase elbowed her as she stood staring into space, "Come on, dinner is served and we be the servers."

Helgi insisted on cutting up the chickens herself, making quick work of both carcasses, the meat laid out on a platter. "You should keep the bones to make soup." she pointed out.

Eidra had Cait on her lap, feeding her tiny spoonfuls of mashed potatoes. Fen devoured the chicken on his plate but pushed the vegetables around until Loki put his hand atop Fen's head, "Eat, do not play."

But mostly the meal passed in silence until Brenna and Sophie had started to clear the plates away, exchanging them for dessert. As she stood at the refrigerator taking the ice cream from the freezer, Brenna heard her father start to speak.

"Master Wells."

She turned to see Chase, his face serious, "Yes sir?"

In her head, Brenna had begun to chant, "Do not embarrass me, do not embarrass me!"

"In the past, you have shown a blatant disregard for school rules."

Chase met Loki's easy stare, "Sir, show me one person who hasn't broken the rules once or twice."

She flinched at his response but her father's reply in the form of a hearty laugh nearly made her drop the stack of bowls in her hands.

"Well met! Tell me then, boy, how am I to be assured you will abide by the rules I set ere I permit you to court Brenna?"

Brenna stood stunned at the conversation unfolding before her until Sophie nudged her and whispered, "You okay?"

She could only nod, watching Chase consider his answer.

"I don't suppose you could sir. You would just have to trust us."

Loki's eyes flitted to Brenna then back to Chase. "Both you and my daughter are of one mind."

When Loki had started to speak to him, he had felt every muscle in his body tense. His shoulders were starting to ache with the strain. He was so thirsty yet he didn't dare pick up the glass of ice water before him, his hands were wet with sweat and he envisioned himself dropping it to the table. The feeling of terror that had taken root in the pit of his stomach had started to grow as Loki sat, silent, drumming his fingers on the table.

"I could tell you I expect you to be chaperoned at all times." He watched Chase's expression, amused, "I could limit the amount of time you spend together. Where you meet and when."

She walked on jerky legs towards the table with the ice cream and the bowls which she started to set in front of each of them, Sophie bringing the toppings for the ice cream and the spoons.

Fen reached for the container of ice cream and squealed, "It is cold like ice!"

"I thought we would have something you have never tried before." Brenna hated the false sound of cheerfulness in her voice.

"What is it?" Fen turned the carton around as if trying to make sense of the foreign words. Chris had only just started to teach him the English alphabet before he'd passed away.

"It is called chocolate chip ice cream." She set a couple of scoops in his bowl first, "You want toppings?"

"What are they?" He was practically lying on top of the table, Loki had to pull him down.

"Strawberry, chocolate and sprinkles." She pointed to each bottle in turn.

"Strawberry!"

"We do not ask like that." Loki warned him.

"Strawberry, please."

She poured the strawberry syrup over the ice cream, "Eat it slow or you will get a brain freeze."

Fen poked at the ice cream with his spoon, "What is a brain freeze?"

Eidra looked at the bowl Sophie had set before her, pulling it out of the way just before Cait's hand settled on the rim, "Do you recall eating the snow and crying because your head hurt? Brenna means a cold headache."

Fen gingerly took a spoonful of the ice cream and sniffed, smiled and licked it, "This is better than snow!"

Loki nodded, "A rare treat. I had something similar when I attended a banquet at King Freyr's castle one season."

Helgi held a spoonful in the air, "It is like the cold puddings we make though much thicker."

Lily picked up her bowl, "You've never had ice cream?"

"No." Helgi took another spoonful, "A pity is it not?"

Cait seemed to love the cold confection, "It likely feels good on her new teeth." Eidra laughed as Cait bit down on the spoon, unwilling to let it go.

Loki had his elbows on the table, his hands clasped before his chin, watching Brenna as she ate, wondering what it was that so often stuck his tongue to the roof of his mouth, stopped his words when he tried to talk to his eldest daughter. Astrid had said make amends, could she have meant with Brenna? Could she have been warning him to heal the rift between them? How would he do such a thing, by granting her wish she be allowed to court? There was little else he could think of, he had already let her remain on Midgard.

It was closing on seven thirty by the time they finished the ice cream and piled the dishes into the sink. Helgi had wanted to help clean up but Sophie reassured her they would tend to it later and they all returned to the reception room to wait for the limo to return. As the minutes ticked away, Eidra grew more agitated. She had dreaded the end of the day from the very beginning a feeling which grew as she watched Brenna sit with Fen watching those mindless cartoons.

Loki too, seemed restless, pacing back and forth, stopping to look down at Cait who'd fallen asleep in Eidra's arms, glancing out the window at the long driveway, illuminated by tungsten light poles. Finally, he walked over to Brenna, "Fen, I must talk to your sister."

Fen, who had been draped across Brenna's lap, groaned but crawled off her to curl up at one end of the couch, his eyes bleary with sleep, still trained on the TV.

Brenna stood up and followed her father, casting a nervous eye at her mother as they passed, until he stopped at the window a bit distant from the others. Brenna noticed it had begun to snow again. Loki reached into his shirt and withdrew the Uruz. slipping it over his head, he coiled it into his hand, taking one of hers, he placed the shimmering disc into her palm and closed his hand over it. She felt her throat ache with tears as the cool stone throb against her skin.

"I wish you to have the Uruz, you have proved yourself worthy, mature, and this treasure was meant to be given to you at such a time as this."

She wanted to take it, wanted to sit down and talk with him, ask the questions she needed answers to. She wanted not to be afraid of him anymore. The lights shining into the window made them both turn to see the limo heading up the driveway and she knew none of what she wanted would happen today.

"I cannot take it, Father." She pushed his hand back to him, saddened by the look of despair on his face.

"Why? Is it not what you have wanted? It would give you the ability to come and go as you pleased."

"That is the problem. It would be too easy to run away when I was frustrated with my schoolwork or became homesick. I fear I would abuse it. I am not yet ready to take possession of such power."

He looked lost, mouth open to speak though words failed him.

"Father, do not be upset with me."

He shook his head, slowly at first, then more vigorously, "I am not upset, merely confused. I wish..."

The knock at the foyer door cut him short as Lily ran to answer it. Stark and Thor strode into the reception room. Loki noted the wide smile on Thor's face and nodded to him. Brenna turned to them and ran to Thor, "Uncle!,"

He hefted her up into a great hug as Loki slowly hung the Uruz back around his neck. "You have grown so!"

Brenna heard a sniffle as Thor set her down. Eidra was wrapping Cait in her blanket, readying her to go out into the cold night air. Brenna sat down beside her and wrapped her arms around Eidra's shoulders as Eidra burst into tears, "I promised myself I would not be weak but I am weak indeed. I so wish you would come home, my lamb."

"I shall Mama, I swear it. I will finish my studies and come for a visit."

"To stay, not to visit. My sky is missing its bright star without you there." She wiped her eyes, hugging Brenna's arms to her.

"I will come home again, only let me prove I can do this."

Eidra nodded, "I will, I ken your wish to know all you can, see all you can, and I will be there when you are ready to return."

Eidra held Cait up to Lily, stood and gave Brenna a fierce hug. Helgi, who had come to Eidra's side, stroked Brenna's face, "Come home soon, poppet."

Brenna watched them walk out into the snow where the driver held open the limo door for them. Thor walked over to the couch where Fen had finally succumbed to sleep and hefted him up. "I will take him to the limousine, brother. Say your goodbyes."

Loki walked over to Chase who had been standing apart from everyone and looked about to bolt as Loki reached out his hand. Chase took and shook it, "Master Wells, let it be known that I receive progress reports about Brenna. I also receive reports when she has misbehaved." He had not heard a bad word about her yet, save the hospital incident but Chase need not know it. "I will doubtless hear of your relationship and any trouble in the future. Take care and treat her well, do you ken?"

Chase's voice was tremulous but his answer was firm, "I understand, sir. I will treat her like the princess she is."

He then turned to Sophie, taking her hand and bussing it lightly, "She is fortunate to have such a faithful friend in you, Milady. Thank you for your hospitality."

Brenna was standing in the doorway leading to the foyer, trying to stop her lip from trembling as Loki approached her. He took her face in his hands, "It is my fervent wish that one day you will feel you may talk freely to me." And kissed her forehead, gently, lingering a moment. She yearned to throw her arms about him, feel his embrace in return but she could only reply, "And it is my wish for you as well."

He let her go then, and turned away before she could see the tear slide down his cheek and he was gone. She stood in the doorway, watching the limo pull away from the mansion. She was no longer a child. He had been willing to give her the Uruz. When next she saw him, she swore she would overcome her fear, forge a new path into their relationship. She felt lighter than she had in countless seasons as she closed the door with a smile.

As they sped towards the city, Eidra asleep on his shoulder, the others in similar repose, Stark on his phone, Loki looked over to Thor.

"Did you find her?"

Thor's grin spoke volumes, "I did."

"And?"

"And what? We spoke for a long time."

Loki kicked his foot, "You oaf, what did you speak about?"

"What would you like to know, we spoke of countless things. I spoke of bringing her to visit Asgard. About making her a queen."

"A lie, brother, I am shocked."

"It was no lie," Thor sat forward, "Were I to charge Sif with adultery, I would be allowed to bring her before the High Council and ask for the bonds to be dissolved."

"And will you?" Loki looked up at the night sky through the sun roof.

"Perhaps, we must talk more upon it. I must speak with Father as well."

"You will be happy then?"

"As happy as you." Thor returned the gentle kick.

"I am not so sure of that." He pulled Eidra closer to him, leaned back into the seat and closed his eyes.


	49. Chapter 49

He watched the little towns pass by in one continuous blur as he reclined in the back of the black Escalade. Even after two weeks, whenever he thought about shaking Loki's hand, passing his muster, he felt empowered like he'd faced the biggest challenge of his life and won the prize.

There was no doubt he'd been scared. Before Loki had arrived, the only image Chase had retained of him had been the crazed father ready to drag his daughter bodily out of the school. When he was finally before him, he was simply a man, a father, charismatic, serious but still nothing more. Brenna had warned that he was powerful, yet he'd displayed no feats of strength, he'd cast no spells and Chase found he actually liked him.

After the visit, Brenna seemed to become more positive, cheerful even, as if a great weight had been lifted from her soul. That Christmas had been the best one of his life hands down. They had spent Christmas eve and the whole next day together with the small group of kids who had stayed at the school for the holiday. They'd watched Christmas specials, played games with the other students, and eaten themselves into a stupor. Then they'd spent the rest of the week enjoying the break and hanging out with friends. He had almost called his father to tell him he wouldn't be coming home for New Year's eve but Brenna had convinced him to go regardless and he had reluctantly agreed. He had hated that he would miss the New Year's eve bonfire at the school.

As Harry held the door for him that morning when he climbed into the Escalade, he could see them building the wood pile down by the lake.

When they turned down the private drive leading to the contemporary mansion nestled against the foot of a mountain, he began to get uptight. He knew his father would play twenty questions about what was going on at school and he would have to jump through hoops but that would likely be tomorrow. Today, as they neared the mansion, he could see half a dozen white catering vans parked out front and he knew his father was planning a big blow-out. Missing the bonfire was bad, attending his father's annual New Year's eve party was worse. His father would circulate amongst his guests, three quarters of whom Chase didn't know, leaving him to wander around, eating, drinking and staying out of the way.

The Escalade rolled to a stop and he hopped out, turning to Harry who had been reaching for the handle to let him out. "My father here?"

"He had business to attend to at the hospital this morning."

"He's at the hospital on New Year's eve?" The phone in Chase's hand went off. He looked at the screen. Another text from Brenna.

"When you're the man in charge, you don't get a break." Harry slid back into the driver's seat and Chase bounded up the front stairs where the door was already opening. A tall thin man with white blond hair and eyes the color of blue ice stood just inside, nodding to him. "Hey Adam."

Adam had been his father's butler for at least the last fifteen years. With a wave, Chase ran up the curved main staircase to the second floor balcony, stopping to look down into the foyer through the two tiered chandelier hanging from the high ceiling. He reached his room, shutting the door behind him, turning on his computer, texting Brenna "I'm going to be online, mssg me there." He took his mp3 player out of his jeans pocket and stuck the earbuds in. Maybe this visit wouldn't be so bad were his father to let him alone in his room for the remainder of the time. He knew it wasn't about to happen but he could hope. He sat down in his computer chair and began to type to Brenna.

She traced circles on his chest with her finger as she lay on her side, her head in her hand.

"If I thought you could be trusted, I'd bring you to the party tonight." He rolled over to face her, cupping her chin in his hand.

She burrowed her hand beneath the covers and took him in her hand again, "Or you could stay here with me." and he groaned aloud.

"Jesse, you know I have to be at that party. After all it's at my house."

She giggled, he'd probably have a ton of food there, important people. She could find a rich old bastard, promise him the ride of his life in exchange for a ride of her own.

She hunched down, took him in her mouth, felt his hand atop her head and was struck with another case of the giggles. Men were so fucking easy to control, even the ones that thought they had it all together. She popped up, draping her leg over his hip, "I would behave, you know I would."

David hugged her tight to him, "I know you wouldn't." then sat up looking at the watch at his wrist and swinging his legs over the floor. "I have to go. My son is coming home from school. He's probably there now."

He slid his legs into his pants and stood up, silently cursing himself for his weakness. "I'll visit you tomorrow."

She kicked the covers off, reaching for her sweat pants to pull them on, "Thanks for the fucking favor. Enjoy your party."

Davd picked up the clipboard he'd dropped to the floor in the heat of passion and tucked it under his arm then knocked on the door which swung open. Leroy stepped back to allow David out of the room.

Jesse sat on the edge of her bed, feeling his spend seeping out to dampen the crotch of her pants. A line had been crossed, one she had worked hard at. Freedom was closer than it had been before, she just had to work a little harder at it. She smiled at her own pun as the door clicked shut behind him.

Chase had retreated to his bed. Brenna had been expected to help with the New Year's festivities prep and so had fallen silent for the time being. He had tried to doze off but the sounds of metal clanging, doors slamming, people talking, barking orders had kept him awake. Finally, with a sigh, he jumped up and started pawing through his closet for something decent to wear to the party.

David was so deep in thought, he was well past the driveway, three miles in fact, before he realized where he was. He turned around in the parking lot of a little convenience store and headed back the way he'd come.

For the second time in as many weeks on his daily rounds, he'd found Jesse waiting for him, this time in her bed. He was aware of the fact she was manipulating him, exploiting his obvious desire for her, but he was only human. His infatuation had long ago grown into obsession. The demarcation line was easily crossed when he had visited her on Christmas eve. He had been feeling lonely, wondering whether he had chosen the right path in life. She had set him on the bed, announced she had a present for him to open and had proceeded to perform a slow striptease act. His resolve had suffered a sudden violent death as he'd tossed her onto the mattress. He hadn't even bothered to remove pants, unzipping his fly and taking her, sprawled across the bed covers.

He pulled around the circular driveway, putting the Lincoln in park. As he got out of the car, harry was already waiting. He dodged around David and sat down in the drivers seat. David watched the car head for the garage and chuckled to himself. He was actually considering preparing a room at the mansion for Jesse. He knew how close he was coming to ruining his career for her but if she were here in the mansion, he would have more time to study her. At least it was what he was telling himself. He would be able to try different medications and record her reactions. He'd talked with one of the other doctors on the ward, bypassing Egan altogether, about a round of electroshock therapy. The resurgence of the technique was meeting with good reviews. The patient would be put under for the procedure rendering it painless. The patient would then wake up refreshed. Of course there were side effects, in particular, a condition referred to in medical circles as swiss cheese brain. The therapy tended to create holes in a patient's memory. Not that it was necessarily a bad thing in Jesse's case.

He trotted up the stairs, drawn by loud music to Chase's room. He cracked open the door and peeked in. Chase was standing in front of the long mirror in his room, turning one way then the other, surveying his image, hard rock blaring out of the speakers on his computer. David quietly closed the door again. He would catch up with Chase later on. Right now he needed to see to preparations for the party. He headed back down the stairs to find Adam.

He suspected Thor had an ulterior motive for showing up in their dooryard that morning before dawn. Of course, he had asked Loki to join him on the hunt and so Loki had taken a haunch of cold roast rabbit, leftovers from the previous evening meal, from the cold cellar, a hunk of bread, and an apple, wrapped them in cloth and put them in his satchel. He'd then stolen into the bedchamber, kissed Eidra and promised he'd be home for evening meal.

As they rode past his lands, north on the road out of Rialo, through into the countryside and beyond, the day grew brighter until Loki ventured to ask at one point if he intended to chase the game through the streets of Asgard proper. Thor had laughed, said no they would not be traveling so far as that but they had kept riding until the sun was at its zenith in the sky and Thor turned his horse down a overgrown rutted track. The trees on either side hung low with undisturbed snowfall, showering them with glittering sunlit crystal as they passed beneath.

"Thor, what are you about? You brought me out here to hunt did you not?" He brushed his shoulders free of the snow.

"My reasons for this trip are twofold. Have patience, brother."

"Indeed?" Loki took in the surrounding woodland, "Am I to be privy to a new hunting ground filled with game?"

Thor looked at him, "To be sure there is game on this land."

The track started to widen out, the branches to rise higher over their heads and Loki could see up ahead, glimpses through the brush, of a large building.

"What are you up to? Come now, I have played along, wasted half a day."

Thor drove his horse to trot ahead into the clearing that opened up to reveal before them, a large manor house. Built of gray and brown fieldstone with wings extending from either side. High arching mullioned windows decorated the facade punctuated in the center by a door which looked to have been painted forest green but now had weathered to gray white.

A path in the snow looked to have been cleared to the door. In places around the outer walls, weeds and twiggy briar bushes poked through the snow covering. In the spring it would likely be overgrown with brush and weeds.

"Well? What say you, brother?"

Loki was quiet for a moment, listening to the birdsong, Lightning's heavy breathing, watching the melting snow drip from the eaves. "I would ask whether this was to be your summer home."

Thor urged his horse over to Loki and clapped him on the back, "No brother, 'tis yours."

Loki stared at him, "I have no need for a summer home."

Thor laughed as he dismounted from his horse. "Gods, no. I mean it is to be your new home."

Loki remained in the saddle, "I did not ask for a new home." felt Thor's hand on his calf.

"Nevertheless, here it stands." Thor tugged at his boot, "Come see it, brother."

Loki hesitated, bit his lip then slid to the ground. They trudged through the snow to the path and stopped at the door. "This is inane."

Thor ignored him, opened the door and guided him inside. At each step, dust motes danced in the sunbeams shining through the windows. It was cold enough inside toe see their breaths and Thor pulled his cloak tighter about him. Loki surveyed the room and was vaguely reminded of Fin's house with its grand furnishings. There was little here to compare though the house itself seemed of fine workmanship. There was an intricately carved staircase of dark wood leading to a second floor balcony which crossed over to lead down the other side of the room back to the first floor. Beneath the staircase was a hallway leading to another door. He walked into the room on his right which was aglow with soft sunlight. A wide fireplace graced the far wall. It was nearly tall enough to stand in. He reached out a hand to the mantle, finding it white marble.

"Come upstairs." Thor's voice echoed in the empty rooms.

"I see no use."

"Then to humor your brother."

Loki looked at him across the empty room.

"What say you to a direct command from your king then?"

Loki moved not a muscle save for the frown upon his face.

"Please?"

His frown deepened but he followed Thor up to the balcony. "Now turn."

Loki turned, looking down to the first floor.

"A grand view is it not?"

Loki gripped the railing before him, "A bit dusty."

"You must use your imagination, come."

He followed Thor into one of the large rooms off the landing. "The master bedroom. I could have your bed brought here. It would be quite at home here."

Loki stood in the doorway watching Thor walk about the empty bedroom then rush up to him, "The kitchen is huge, you must see it to believe it."

Thor pushed by him to head across the balcony.

"Thor."

Thor trooped down the opposite staircase towards the first floor, "Thor!"

As his boots hit the last step, "Brother!"

He looked up to the balcony where Loki still stood, "Come down...the kitchen.."

"Why are you showing me this house?"

Thor started back up the stairs, "Why did you not hear me before? The house is yours."

Loki shook his head, "My house is in Rialo."

Thor reached the landing again, "But it does not have to be. This manor house is ideal. It was deeded to the kingdom upon the death of the widow of Ulrich Ericson. I had no need of it and so it has fallen into slight disrepair. You had said you were considering moving closer to Asgard, were you not serious?"

Loki sighed. He had indeed said such a thing only to goad Sif but now he had been called on it.

"It is a short ride to the city, you could be in Asgard in no time at all." Thor pointed out one of the windows beside the front door and he was surprised that he could indeed see the distant spires of the palace just above the treetops.

"And of what importance is my distance from the city?"

Thor grabbed him suddenly by the shoulders, "You could resume the duties of your title, take your place at my side once again."

Loki was already shaking his head, "No, no, no, Eidra would disapprove, I am sure of it."

"I need an adviser, one whom I can count on, whom I can trust to be loyal." Thor squeezed his shoulders.

"How do you know you may trust me?" Loki backed from his grasp and started back down the staircase, Thor following right behind him.

"You are a changed man. Your family is your most precious treasure. You maintain your life through the sweat of your own brow. You have endeavored to raise your children well. I see no reason to doubt your loyalty if your integrity is to be believed."

Loki stopped, looking up the staircase at him, "And the citizens of Asgard, the Aesir, they would feel the same? They would not upbraid you for reinstating a criminal to the High Council?"

"A criminal I created." Thor was even with him now, and Loki could detect the glimmer of tears in his brother's eyes,"I wish to make amends, I yearn to right the wrongs, restore your title. I am king, they would take me at my word were I to vouch for you."

Loki stood at the bottom of the stairs gazing about the empty house, "My family consists of myself, my children, my wife, a housekeeper who is getting on in years and a middling woman. How would we maintain such a house...were we to agree upon the move?"

Thor was at once excited, pacing, waving his hands as he spoke, "I would provide servants for you, a stipend befitting a prince of the realm to run the manor. Sif has many ladies in waiting, I could spare Ingrid for Eidra. Her family lives not far from here. There are hectares of land with the manor, you could still farm it!"

Thor turned him around, pointing to the second floor, "Did you not tell me that Eidra is with child again as well? You could have a brood of ten children with a house as big as this." He saw a ghost of a smile play about Loki's lips. "Ah, see brother, I know your desires. Grant your king, your brother, this one wish."

Loki had his hand at his mouth, staring about the room, "I do not see how I would be able to convince Eidra..."

"If need be, I shall ask upon bended knee. I shall beg her!" he caught Loki in a great embrace, "Come, comfort me with the true warmth of family. Together we shall maintain the kingdom, hunt, feast, sport as we did in our youth."

Loki shoved him away, "Brother, control yourself." He crossed his arms, "I do not know whether she shall agree to such a move, I tell you."

"But you will try? Tell her she may attend court as a lady."

Loki opened the door, returning to the sunshine. "Let me ponder this on our return home. Not only shall I have to think of an excuse as to why I was out hunting all day yet did not bring any game home, but I shall have to ask her to move from our home."

Thor nodded vigorously as they mounted their horses again.

"Brother, you ask more of me than you know."

Thor had ridden with him to the halfway point between Asgard and Rialo, leaving him to return to the palace only after Loki had sworn to convince Eidra of the virtues such a move would contain. The sun had been cut in half by the horizon when he led Lightning into his stall for fresh water and hay.

As he neared the barn, he heard the hiss of milk streaming into a pail, soft murmurs, and the glow of a lantern light thrown onto the new snow through the barn door. He peered inside to see Eidra sitting upon the stool, her forehead pressed to the side of their newest edition to the herd, Marta. She had tied her chestnut hair back but a few strands had escaped, circling her head like a halo, her dark blue cloak fanned out behind her. His heart leapt as he thought of the new life growing within her again. His greatest joy carrying his proudest achievement.

He leaned against the door frame. Why should she not be treated like a lady? Attend Council functions? Receive curtsies instead of giving them? A half smile came to his lips, of course Sif would be enraged to see him return to his role as prince regent. She would seethe every time he appeared at Thor's side, every time she was made to acknowledge Eidra as an equal. It was a sight he fervently wished to see.

Eidra stood with a groan, bent backwards to stretch the stiffness from her body. She then lifted the pails, turned, then screeched, the milk sloshing to the rims.

"Loki, you imp! Would it have put you out to make your presence known?"

He laughed, strode forward and took her face, ruddy with the cold, in his hands, "How fortunate am I that you are a forgiving woman." At her gentle smile, he leaned in, pressing a kiss to her lips, igniting that eternally present spark that burst within her, almost loosing her grip on the pail handles as their tongues met and she backed away, "My heart, the milk."

He reached down, taking both pails from her, "Fetch the lantern."

She walked a couple of steps ahead of him, holding the lantern to light their path, "Did you find any game?"

He grimaced, "None I fear."

She looked over her shoulder at him, "From dawn to dusk you hunted and you found nothing?"

"I have done so before. I cannot expect to come back with game every time I hunt."

"Mmmm. What was your brother up to then?"

Loki was glad of the darkness, he knew he had flushed with color at the question.

"Nothing, save the hunt." He winced at the lie but it was temporary, he reassured himself, "You should have had Fen help you."

She shook her head, "I left him alone. For the first time since Chris's passing, he brought out his toy ark to play with. I was loathe to break the spell."

She opened the door to the cottage and Loki could see Fen by the fire with his animals lined up upon the hearth. Eidra hung the lantern on the hook beside the fireplace as Loki set the pails on the table and surveyed the home he had lived in for the past eight seasons. He could see the evidence of the happy memories they'd made, the sad ones as well, .

Helgi and Sally took the pails from the table. He knew one would go to making cheese and butter. Cait was playing quietly in her pen but Loki couldn't help himself. He picked her up and kissed her cheek, then blowing raspberries against her neck. Her resulting squeal and wide smile buoyed him, urging him to boldness.

"Eidra, do you recall when I talked to Thor of moving closer to the city?"

Eidra was hanging her cloak on the peg, "Yes, what of it?"

She walked towards him, holding her hands out. Cait leaned towards her, mouth wide.

"My little hungry nestling, am I nothing but a breast to you?" She rubbed noses with Cait.

"There is an opportunity that has been afforded us."

Her eyes grew wide and she clutched Cait to her, "No."

"Eidra will you please listen?"

She sat in the rocking chair, unlacing her bodice, her lips pursed tight.

"Hear me out."

She lay Cait in the crook of her arm, brushing the nipple to her lips, watching as she started to nurse. "This is our home."

He knelt beside the rocking chair, "Thor has shown me a manor house not far distant from the halls of Asgard."

She kept her gaze upon Cait, saw his hand steal to the swell of her breast, stroke it gently, feeling the warm tingle of her milk letting down and she shifted her eyes to his.

"The manor was deeded to the kingdom and now stands vacant. He wishes us to have it." He stroked Cait's hair. She had developed short waves of black hair, darker than her siblings, soft as silk.

"And then be beholden to him?"

Loki gripped her arm, "We shall not. Thor said he would deed the manor and lands to us."

She stared at him, "I cannot believe I am looking at the same man who such a short time ago swore he would never leave his land, this village?"

Loki stood up, aware of three pairs of eyes upon them, "Our home this may be but we have never been a part of this village."

"Why say you such a thing?" She watched him begin to pace.

"Eidra, you have listened to me tell of the times I visit the alehouse? Not one man in the village, save Vedic, will drink a pint with me, nay, they barely speak to me. Pray tell me, how many hearths have you been a guest at in Rialo? Ren's, Sally's? The others do not extend their hospitality because of me."

Eidra pulled Cait closer, her hand atop her little fist, "And think you we would be as welcome in a new village? I have no need of the friendship of a handful of gossipy women. I have my family here."

Fen had stopped playing now, sitting with a toy in his hand, frozen as he listened to his mother and father. Helgi motioned to him, catching his attention finally as he jumped up and ran to her, "Let them talk, play over here upon the table."

Cait had stopped suckling and had now taken to playing so Eidra sat her upright on her knee, patting her back. "And if it is a manor, as you say, however would we maintain it? I am with child, there will come a time when I cannot be of much help. Will the burden of the work fall to Helgi?"

Loki squatted before her, "We would be provided a household, servants."

"I can scarce believe you are even pondering...what has your brother put into your head?"

He stood again, "He wishes me to return to palace life. To resume my role as prince regent, be his adviser..."

"No!" She cried, startling Cait who began to wail. She at once turned her around and held her to her shoulder, Sally appearing at her side, opening her arms. "Here let me take her into the bedchamber."

Helgi ushered Fen behind Sally as Eidra stood up from the chair to face Loki, "You who denied Brenna the chance to live at the palace and learn the ways of the court?"

"As did you."

"You would return willingly now?"

He tried to take her hand but she pulled back from him, "What if such a move were to lure Brenna to return? If I were to offer her a place at the palace?"

Eidra put her hands to her mouth, "Oh Loki. Listen to yourself. We struggled, we fought so hard to be free of Asgard. Do you not remember how it tore us apart?"

"You would be a lady, you do not see. Thor wishes to make amends with us, not simply myself, but you as well."

"And he thinks drawing you back into palace life, trying to buy my favor, would make up for the horrible wrongs he has done to you?"

Loki wanted to shout of the wrongs he himself had committed in return, wanted to tell her what Thor's offer meant to him, Thor's acceptance, their mutual forgiveness but he fell mute. The look upon his face seemed to move Eidra, however, and she took his hands in hers, "I fear losing you to Asgard, I fear that you will come to prefer the palace, that one day you will no longer return to my arms..."

He stopped her protests with his mouth, hand slipping behind her head, cradling her precious form to him, "I would rather die a thousand deaths than spend a night away from your side. You must know this." He groaned, held her closer, his head upon her shoulder, "If it be so repugnant to you, I will say no more of it."

She could feel the thunder of his heart to hers, slid her arms about his neck, burying her face to his tunic as they held each other for a long time, comforting, speaking soft words of love.

Thus it came that evening when they lay entwined together, Eidra put her hand to his face, "Helgi will watch the children on the morrow so you might show me this grand house you speak of."

Loki nodded, melting into her embrace, the last thought before he drifted to sleep, wondering at how he could love someone so completely, so deeply. He would proudly see her at his side before all of Asgard one day, there would be no need to hide her away ever again, she would finally be afforded the respect she deserved, she would be a lady.


	50. Chapter 50

Around about seven that evening, the guests started to arrive. His father had transformed the giant glass atrium at the rear of the mansion into a veritable nightclub with a DJ. He wished he had asked permission to bring Brian along but it was too late now. He walked around the pool, trying to spot people he knew. One of the hostesses draped a blue necklace with the blinking number 2018 hanging off it, about Chase's neck. He scooped a glass of champagne off a passing tray, finding an empty corner, looking out the leaded windows at the floodlit lawn, wondering what Brenna was doing at that moment.

She had to keep her feet moving. She was so cold. She could scarce believe how her father and her brother seemed immune to the ice and snow. She looked down at her cell phone, "Damnit."

"What up, girl?" Brian nudged her.

"I have no service out here. I cannot text Chase."

He shrugged, "Beggars can't be choosers. That phone was given to you. You wanna use mine?"

"No, then he would be texting your phone all night. I shall find a signal eventually. Maybe the warming hut." She headed for one of the little huts that formed a semicircle a distance from the pile of bonfire wood with Sophie, Brian and Rachel in tow.

Kurt was in the hut, sitting behind a long counter, pouring hot chocolate into styrofoam cups.

"Der cold is too much for you?" he handed Brenna a cup and she hovered over it.

"I have not the constitution for winter weather."

"A pity, der northern winters are long."

The cell phone in her pocket beeped once, twice. She set her cup down on the counter and scrambled to pull her phone out, finally succeeding. "It is Chase."

She read the text, "What is up, sweetheart? The party is just starting here." and started to text him back.

"Here as well. We are outside at the bonfire. They are to light it at the eleventh hour, then they will have fireworks at midnight. I hate that I will have to see my first fireworks without you." He snorted, texting back, "So do I."

The music had started full force, he hadn't even seen his father yet. He spied Adam standing at the double doors, directing guests. "Hey, is my father here? I haven't seen him."

Adam regarded him coolly, "I believe he's in the billiard room entertaining some important guests."

Chase wove around him and started down the hallway, excusing himself as he passed more people coming in but at once felt a hand about his arm. "I would not disturb him."

Chase shrugged Adam off, "It's goddamn New Year's eve, he's not going to attend his own party?"

He kept heading down the wide hallway towards the billiard room at the other end. The music vibrated the very air. He reached the billiards room door which was cracked open and peered in. His father was leaning against the billiard table with a drink in his hand. Facing him, his back to the door was a tall distinguished looking gentleman in an expensive looking suit. He had a head of steel gray hair and a cultured voice that reminded him of Loki.

"David, I really do think you've spent an inordinate amount of time and money upon this woman. Would it not be better spent elsewhere?"

David tipped his glass, "It would Eric and I have been most generous to the cause. Why would you not allow me this personal indulgence?"

The man turned to a decanter on a short table behind him and Chase could see his face. He was older than he'd thought but his eyes were piercing, his smile cunning like a cat with a fat, juicy canary.

"I did not say that I wouldn't allow it. I can easily get the medication, I am simply warning you to spend your energy on something worthwhile. Something you may see results with. A broad spectrum cure for mental illness, David, really?"

David put his hand to the bridge of his nose, massaging it, "I would rather target certain symptoms, certain aspects. I'm only trying to find a starting point."

"There are few humans I would indulge like this, you are aware?" The man chuckled, took a sip of his own drink, "But the potential I see in Chase, and my appreciation for your dear Annie, sways me in your favor."

"Dear Annie...," David swirled the ice cubes in his glass and the man laughed outright.

"Dear for her ability, I've not the pleasure of living with her, however so I cannot vouch for much else."

David started for the door and Chase jumped back but he paused, "How long will it take to get the medicine here?"

"From Moscow? A week at best, but David, take my advice, put your efforts into the mutants in your care, they are most in need, especially that boy. He will go far, mark my words."

"Thank you, Eric. I'll do my best, now I believe it's time I join my guests. Shall we?"

Chase backed away, catching the door as it swung towards him. He watched the man and his father walk down the hallway towards the atrium.

Medicine? For who? The man had mentioned a woman. It must be one of his father's patients. He followed behind but they were quickly swallowed up by the crowd and he was once again left to wander on his own. As he reached the atrium again he spied one man he knew. "Mister Luntz?"

The man turned around, spotting Chase and smiled. "Chase, my god you're a man! It's been a long time since I saw you last."

"Yeah I've been at school" He was practically shouting above the loud music, "I graduate next year."

Vic nodded, "Then college? I'll keep an eye out for you when you get your degree. Maybe I can find you a position at the hospital in our IT department."

In Washington D.C.? He'd always hated that city. Still he was polite. "Thank you, sir. Um, have you seen my father? I lost him."

Vic waved his drink around, "He's networking. A lot of influential people here you know."

Chase nodded, "Yeah I know. If I don't catch up with him today, he'll catch up with me tomorrow. Excuse me."

Vic raised his glass as Chase slipped through the throng, coming upon the buffet table at the other end of the atrium. There he filled a plate and retreated to an empty lounge chair to eat and people watch. It was a short time later when he heard a voice on his left and looked up. In the process of sitting down upon the lounge chair beside him was the man to whom his father had been talking.

"You've come a long way from your days as a young boy on his way out of the public school system."

Chase had to laugh. The look the principal of the grade school had given him as his father had picked him up from school, telling his father that the child's special needs would be better served at another institution, and that word he had placed emphasis on.

"I moved on to a better place, trust me." he felt able to speak freely with this man who held out his hand. Chase noticed the well manicured fingernails, the fingers devoid of any rings as he took and shook it.

"Eric,"

Chase nodded, "Pleased to meet you, Mister..."

"Eric will suffice. Tell me, have you been practicing your talent? Making an effort to control it?"

"Yeah, we have classes for that, in a safe environment. Some of the kids there have got some pretty incredible talents if you catch my meaning."

Eric laughed aloud, "Oh indeed I do. The mansion has changed much since my time there."

"You were a student?" Chase hadn't realized the school was that old.

"No, no," He could see the amusement play around Eric's deep blue eyes, "Let's say I was an advocate. I was past my childhood years when I visited Charles's school."

"Professor Xavier? You knew him?" He had been gone before Chase arrived.

"I did. He was a great man. One of the greatest telepaths I ever had the honor of calling friend. Tell me, do they still preach peace, harmony and tolerance of your fellow human within those hallowed halls?"

Chase glanced at Eric, "Yeah, I mean we're all the same aren't we? We all bleed red blood."

"Are we now? I know a man who bleeds green. Another who bleeds blue. I believe we are superior in every aspect. Do you not look down on those who look down upon you?"

Chase thought of the woman in Grand Central who had berated Brenna for helping her, insulted her, and he frowned, "Sometimes, I guess, but some people are assholes, not all, but some." He considered Brian's parents, the most accepting, fun loving, rowdy family he'd ever met. They had been eager to pull him into the fold.

Eric chuckled, "Be rest assured, there are those out there that are not as complacent, as forgiving as yourself." He stood, "I expect great things from you, Chase, so long as you never forget what you are."

Chase watched the man move into the crowd, unaware of the pair of eyes that were his father's watching the conversation from across the room. He had seen Eric sit down next to Chase, resisted the urge to break up the meeting but had held back, relieved that the exchange had seemed brief. Eric's presence, outside of all other mutants, always put him on edge even though he needed his help, he knew Eric's only reason for parlaying with him was Annie and Chase. Otherwise he was just another human to him. David would ask Chase what Eric had said to him tomorrow. Now he had to be the gracious host.

Brenna stood shivering, watching Logan, Mister Summers, and Miss Munro surround the pile of wood with lit torches.

"Here we go, don't worry girl, you gonna be warm soon." Brian tilted his head towards her, his arm around Rachel's shoulders, "You'd be warm, you put some meat on those bones."

She wrapped her arms tighter around her, "I would be warm, were Chase here."

"Aw now," Brian reached over to poke her, "You'd be more than warm."

Dylan, taking even steps so as not to spill the hot chocolate in his hands, arrived just in time to see them toss the torches onto the wood. He handed Sophie a cup. "Less than an hour to the new year. Anybody got any resolutions?"

Brenna wrinkled her nose, "What do you mean?"

Sophie watched the flames begin to lick the timber, the old pallets, branches, "Resolutions are promises to change something for the new year. Maybe it's something you don't like about yourself, or something you want to happen so you resolve to make it happen. Or maybe it's a habit you want to kick."

"Yeah," Brian cried, "My grandpaw, he quit smoking cold turkey one year just before my Auntie Keshia got hitched to that bookie. He started up again 'bout six months later, it was either that or he was gonna kill the boy."

Sophie laughed, "Brian, it must be a circus at family reunions."

"More like the Jerry Springer show."

Rachel giggled, poking him in the side, "You're exaggerating, they're the nicest people you ever want to meet, especially his grandmother."

"Okay I'll give you granny, she the best."

Dylan sipped his hot chocolate, "My resolution is to not make any."

Sophie rolled her eyes, "I resolve not to buy more shoes until I get rid of the ones I don't wear anymore. Rachel?"

Rachel put her hand to her chest, "Me? Oh I haven't thought of one yet. I hate making them because I always break them. How about you Brenna?"

Brenna had been listening to them, watching the wood start to blaze, enjoying the heat but thinking back to the last bonfire she'd been to in Asgard. It had been Walpurgis, already it seemed like another lifetime. She turned her attention to her friends, thinking until Brian waved a hand before her face, "Hello, earth to Bren? You with us?"

Brenna gave a slow nod, "I think my resolution shall be to..." She had wanted to say "forge a better relationship with my father" but what if she were unable, what if when she saw him the next time, she choked? What if the old fear came rushing back? In the end, her resolution would encompass that which she was trying to accomplish. "I shall resolve to be braver."

"Braver?" Brian stared at her, "You already brave. What you need to be braver about?"

"Just braver." Brenna rubbed her arms, "I will not know about what until I face it."

They watched the fire reach higher until it seemed to lick the stars and Brian said, "We got 'bout five minutes until twenty eighteen."

Brenna took out her phone and groaned, "Can we move around the fire until I find a signal again. I must text Chase at midnight, I promised him."

Sophie started to herd them to the right, shuffling around students and staff until Brenna held up her hand, "I have a signal. Is this alright?" She looked around her at the huge bonfire before them, the mansion on the hill, glowing with warm light, the stars above in the black night sky, "So beautiful. I wish Chase were here." As if on cue, her phone beeped and she looked down to read, "Are you looking at the stars like we said?"

Brenna felt a shiver run down her spine as her fingers flew about the keyboard, "However did you know?"

Chase smiled, texting back, "Because we said we were going to do that at midnight and it's about two minutes till."

The crowd had started to get louder. He took a noisemaker from one of the roaming waiters, from somewhere in the melee, a bra came flying to land at his feet and he jumped back as the owner, a gorgeous redhead wearing a pair of slacks, a neckful of plastic beads and nothing else, scooped it up and waved at him, disappearing back into the crush of people.

One minute, "I wish I were there to kiss you."

"I wish you were too."

Thirty seconds, twenty, "They're starting to count down."

"I love you."

"I love you too, Brenna."

Ten seconds, nine, eight, "Happy New Year, Brenna!"

Three, two, one, "Happy New Year, Chase!"

She blew a kiss to the stars...

And he caught it.

"I miss you." She sighed as she sent the message on.

He nodded, "Hug the phone, I'll feel it."

"No you won't, silly." She muttered to herself, but she did it anyway, typing "Done."

Chase drifted out of the atrium as the crowd started to sing "Auld Lang Syne". He didn't feel much like celebrating. He hadn't seen his father save for the occasional glimpse across the room and he was tired. He wanted only to get tomorrow over with so he could return to the school and Brenna.

By twelve-thirty, she'd had enough of the cold. "I am retiring for the night."

Brian and Rachel said they would stay at the bonfire a bit longer but Sophie and Rachel followed Brenna up the long hill to the mansion. Brenna lay in bed that night, her head at the opposite end of the bed as she lay on her stomach watching out her window at the bonfire as it slowly burned down to embers, drifting to sleep counting the hours until Chase returned.

Chase sat up in bed, disoriented for a moment, sure he'd been at the school. He rubbed his eyes, dropping his head down to his bent knees then flopped back down on his pillow. The sun shining in the window made him lift his phone and stare at it with one eye open. "Eight-fifty." He jumped up from the bed and ran into the bathroom to start a shower. His father always ate breakfast at around nine on a holiday and he didn't want to miss it. He was starving as it were, and he knew that after he talked to his father, he'd likely go to the hospital and work and Chase would be free to return to the school.

He made it downstairs at around five after nine. His father was just sitting down to the large island in the kitchen. The cook, Gerald, nodded to Chase as he sat down. His father looked at him and smiled. "One good thing about the school, they've made you an early riser."

He decided not to debate it, not to tell him Brenna had made him an early riser today, "You get used to it."

Gerald put a plate before him. It was filled with french toast, eggs scrambled as he liked them, bacon and home fries. "Gerald, you sure know how to say hello."

Gerald laughed, "I find it's a lot nicer than a handshake."

Chase dug in, getting about halfway through before his father tapped the table, "So your grades look good. Aside from that little stunt you pulled with that girl, things have been pretty quiet."

"Yes sir," he said around a mouthful of eggs, swallowed.

"So tell me, are you seeing said girl still?" A ghost of a smile played around his father's lips.

"Yeah," He blurted out before he had time to think, but there it was, "She's a really great girl, Dad, she's talented, smart, funny, beautiful. I think you'd like her."

His smile faded a bit, "Women are nothing but trouble."

"Funny, they say the same thing about us." Chase continued to eat.

"And she led you astray, did she not? You wouldn't have gotten into trouble had you stayed put at the school."

"She did it for a good cause, Dad, come on. The only reason we got into trouble is because she wasn't supposed to leave the school unsupervised." He paused, he was in no way going to tell his dad who her father was, "Her father is very important and they keep a tight rein on her whereabouts."

"Oh, who is he? Maybe I know him."

Chase nearly choked on his orange juice, sputtering, "I know you don't, trust me, I know. He's not from around here."

"Try me, what's her last name?"

Chase shrugged, he wouldn't find it anywhere even if he searched for it, "It's well...Lokidottir."

David sat back in his chair and for a minute, Chase was certain he should have kept his mouth shut.

"Okay, you got me. What nationality is that?"

Norse, Finland, oh damn... "Scandinavian?"

David nodded, "Alright. Now you can tell me why she's at the school."

Did he mean how she got there?

"What is her special...skill."

Aha, Chase came alive, "Dad she's a healer. She can heal objects, I've seen her take things like old TVs and touch them, and they work like new, broken objects like chairs, everything. And this is the best part, she can heal people. Cuts, bruises, internal trauma. I met her because she'd healed a woman's twisted ankle. She's amazing, she can unheal things too but that's been a little slower in coming, she's just learning."

David had heard nothing else beyond the first sentence. A healer...

"Dad?"

David turned back to stare at Chase, "I'd like to meet her. We should have her at the mansion one day soon."

Chase shook his head, "She wouldn't be allowed to come this far away. They have a fit when we go to the store in town. You could come out to meet her."

David drained the orange juice in his glass, "Perhaps..." set his glass down and stood up from his chair. "I have to get going. I'll be late at the hospital."

"Can't you take a break for one day?" Chase leaned back in the chair, half serious.

"No can do. Harold will take you back to the school when you're ready to go. You need money?"

"Don't I always?"

David reached in and pulled his wallet from his pants, "How much?"

"A thousand?"

David shot him a look.

"Hey it was worth a try. I don't know, a hundred?"

David handed him two fiftys, "I will talk to you again soon."

Chase watched his father walk out of the kitchen, a distracted look upon his face. He was sure that in recent memory, this had to be the shortest visit Chase had ever had with him. He waved as his father disappeared from view, "Okay Dad, love you too, bye?" and folded the money to stuff it in his wallet.

"A healer," David muttered as he put the Lincoln in drive, eager to reach the hospital, "A healer."


	51. Chapter 51

The day had dawned gray, heavy with the threat of snow, the drear air seeming a mirror of their mood as they sat side by side on the wagon seat.

From the start, everything that could go wrong had done so. A short time after Eidra had fallen asleep, Cait had awoke, crying piteously, rubbing her gums against her knuckles. Eidra had taken her up and brought her out to the common room, rekindling the coals into a low fire and sitting to nurse her but she had rejected the nipple. Eidra had fetched the wooden rattle, set soft blankets down before the hearth and lay with Cait, letting her teethe until at last she fell asleep again.

No sooner had she drifted off beside her when Loki had knelt down, telling her it was time to rise. She had carried a sleeping Cait gingerly into Sally's room, placing her in Sally's waiting arms. By the time she had returned to the common room, Fen had awakened and was pleading with Loki that he be allowed to go with them on the trip. Whether Cait had kept him awake for a good half the night, or because Fen, when he was determined, could whine and cry as if he were being sent to his execution, she did not know but Loki had become short with him. His resulting wail had awakened Helgi who had come out to lead him back to his bedchamber as Loki stormed outside.

She had packed a satchel with bread, cheese and dried venison jerky for the day, grabbed a heavy robe for her shoulders and headed outside in the early light to join him where the day continued on the same path. He had been hitching Lightning to the wagon and she had protested, taking the horses would be quicker without the wagon which had been put on runners for the winter making it cumbersome to pull. He had argued her condition would make riding dangerous and they had gone round for a good while. She had even considered staying home but in the end had grudgingly agreed to the use of the wagon if only to get them out of the dooryard before half the day had been wasted.

He had set her in the seat, tucking the robe in around her legs and they were finally on their way, headed out of town in stony silence. As the day wore on, however, they fell to chatting amiably and she draped the robe over his legs as well, bracing herself against him for warmth.

When they passed the halfway point to Asgard, leaving it far behind, she wondered how close the manor must be to the city, only realizing the truth of the matter when they crested one hill and through a clearing in the trees to her right, she could see the mist shrouded spires of the palace upon the horizon.

"Loki, how much further is it?"

He pointed with a gloved hand, "Not far now."

And was as good as his word as they rounded a small bend and he turned Lightning into the rutted track among the trees on their right. As they passed beneath the canopy of vines and tree branches, she felt a couple drops upon her face but was unsure if it was snowmelt or rain. "Does this manse have a barn to shelter Lightning ere it rains?

"You felt it too?" Loki nodded, "It does indeed have a barn, a rather large one. I will see to him when we arrive. He will be out of the elements."

The trees began to part then, to rise high until they revealed the mansion and Eidra's mouth dropped open, "Loki, this is a veritable palace."

She looked to the right and then the left, scanning the huge house with wonder and not a small measure of trepidation. The barn behind the left wing could have fit their cottage inside it with room to spare. Another drop of water landed upon her hand. "It is raining."

Loki pulled the wagon to a halt and dropped to the ground, coming around and offering his hand to steady Eidra as she stepped onto the soft snow, wobbling a bit as her boots sank.

"Grab the satchel." she called to him as he started to unhitch Lightning from the wagon whereas he paused to reach underneath the bench seat, pulling it out and swinging it over the yoke to her.

"Get inside, the door is open. I shall find us some dry wood for a fire." she threw the satchel over her shoulder, starting down the path until Loki called to her, "Wait." He trotted up to her and she watched as he withdrew the dagger from his thigh scabbard, "You remember how to hold it?"

She turned the dagger, resting it across her outer forearm and he smiled, "It is always better to be prepared with an abandoned building."

He returned to Lightning who was shaking his massive head with the rain which had started in earnest and she approached the door, dagger at the ready, pushing it open with her free hand. The interior was shadowy, drenched in gloom and she cursed herself for forgetting to tell him to bring the lantern from the wagon bed. If possible, it seemed colder inside the house than outside, as if winter itself had decided to take up residence. She stared about the foyer, her eyes traveling up the massive carved staircase before her to the balcony which was bathed in gray light, to her left, she saw a large room lined with shelves which she could only surmise was meant to be a library though her few tomes at the cottage would barely fill one half a shelf.

To her right was another great room she imagined to be a sitting room. The massive fireplace dominating the far wall calling to mind another fireplace in a time which seemed a thousand years distant now. She inched into the room on her right, the dagger still against her forearm, aware in the extreme, ready for any sudden movement as she scanned the corners, only setting the satchel down beside the hearth when she had turned to face the room, the fireplace behind her back. She knelt down then, leaning into the hearth and looking upwards. Through the chimney hole, she could see the gray sky far overhead. "At the very least, the chimney seems clear." she murmured as she stood up straight, nearly hitting her head on the mantle as she heard the door creak open behind her and she gave a little squeak of surprise. Loki had a small armload of wood, the lantern hung on his belt at his side, knocking upon the door as he shut it with his back.

He dropped the wood beside the flagstones of the hearth and she winced as the clatter echoed in the empty rooms. "I remembered the lantern." He untied his belt and handed the lantern to her, taking the flint out of his pouch and opening the lantern window. Soon the room was bathed in warm light and she could see the walls here had been given a coat of paint the color of soft rose. Loki had built a pile of wood in the fireplace and had started to lean forward to look up the chimney, "I have already done so. It is clear."

Loki glanced over his shoulder at her, "Ah, many thanks."

After a short time, he had a small fire going and motioned her to follow him as he took the lantern in his hand. They stopped at the front door to look outside, "The rain looks to be freezing, we may have to stay here the night."

"Loki, I do not wish to be away from Cait for so long. She dislikes the cow's milk and she is teething. Poor Helgi will be beside herself with her."

"Nevertheless," He gestured out the door, "I will not risk your life by traveling in such weather as this. The children are well cared for, now let me show you about the house."

They spent the better part of the afternoon exploring, the sheer number of rooms overwhelming her. She had laughed at the master bedchamber, thinking of how very small their bed would look until he told her his bed from Asgard would have a place here. The kitchen had been a particular delight, the pantry, the great fireplace, the bread oven at the side. She had opened it, thinking that it needed to be cleaned out before it could be used, then stopped herself. She was already acting as if the house was their own and somehow Loki had sensed it for she caught him smiling at her as she backed away from the hearth.

The rain continued to pelt the roof and she was relieved to see there were no visible leaks in the roof. When they returned to the sitting room, the fire had warmed the air considerably and Eidra suggested they eat their evening meal as the light in the windows began to wane. Loki took their pewter cups to the front door, gathering snow to melt in them as she sliced the wedge of cheese upon its cloth and they sat before the fire side by side.

"This reminds me..." Loki gazed at her face lit by the firelight, "Of our first kiss."

His lips, cooled by the melted snow, pressed to the crook of her neck, "Do you remember?"

"How could I forget?" She put her hand up to his cheek, felt his own hand steal around her stomach.

"I wish we had brought the dice. Would it not be delicious to recall such..." The rattle of the dice on the hearth stone made him set back, staring at her outstretched hand, the smile upon her face. "I brought them should we need amusement along the way."

"Ever the little minx." He took the dice up in his hand, taking hers and curling it atop them as he kissed her.

"Are you convinced of the wisdom of such a move yet?"

She eased from his embrace and stood up, "How would we maintain such a large estate? What about the servants? How would we retain them?"

Loki had joined her on his feet and they faced each other across the mantle, "As prince regent, I am entitled to a stipend from the crown for my livelihood."

"And what of the farm? The animals?"

Loki walked to a window beside the fireplace though it was dark outside, "The manor grounds contain a great deal of farmland which helped to support the household. We would bring our animals here. "

Eidra pulled her cloak from the floor and wrapped it around her, gliding into the foyer, "Then why is the manor abandoned, what was it led them to deed the estate to the king?"

Loki had joined her with the lantern, "They were barren, they had no one to which they could leave it."

She looked up the stairs, watching the eerie shadows that played about with the light of the lantern, "Would you still be a farmer?"

"Of course, between my duties to the crown."

"You see," Eidra cried, her voice ringing loud in the rooms, "It would not be the same as before. You would shirk farming for the palace life. You would turn again..."

Loki held the lantern high to see her face more clearly, "I would turn again to what, pray tell?"

Eidra shook her head, holding her hand to her mouth as if to trap the words upon her tongue, at once looking down at her boots.

"Eidra, as it is evident you have something you needs must say, I implore you to have out with it."

She felt his hand on her arm, "I fear losing you to palace life."

"This you have said to me but I have assured you that you would be by my side, have I not?"  
She put her hand atop his, "But I fear losing you.."

"Eidra?" She heard the clank of the lantern as he set it on the floor and took her hands in his, "You shall not lose me, there is nothing to lose me to, nothing that can replace you in my heart. You do not see.."

She squeezed his hands, fear growing in the pit of her stomach, cursing Thor for bringing him here, for promising him the house, making him want to return to Asgard.

"What is it that you would gain by returning to palace life? Your brother's undying affection? His respect, the Aesir's? Would they accept you again?"

Loki hesitated, "I would work to forge a new image, make a difference in the governing of Asgard, Eidra?..."

"Asgard is a dangerous place, do you not see?"

She fought to pull her hands from his grasp but he held firm, "Eidra, the danger in Asgard is long past. We will be accepted together...what danger could there possibly be..."

Her answer was a whisper, so low he could barely hear it, "What of the Tesseract?"

"What?" His voice wavering, strength threatening to drain from his legs, "What?"

"The Tesseract!" She cried.

His mind reeled. She had never seen the cube, he had never talked of it. Only the royal family was allowed access to the Reliquary so great, so powerful were its treasures.

"How do you know of it?" His voice had grown hoarse, a cold sweat sheening his skin.

Her hands slipped from his as she covered her face, her words muffled, "Helgi."

He stared at her, confused, "What did Helgi tell you?"

She shook her head hard as if to deny the answer, "Everything," dropped her hands to her side, "Everything, the attack on New York, the Chitauri, your imprisonment."

Loki stumbled backwards, reaching for the railing, sitting down hard upon the stairs, fear coursing through his body, making him tremble as if a chill had suddenly been visited upon him.

"I begged you to tell me. Gods, I wanted you to let me in."

Eidra was kneeling before him on the steps, her hands on his knees. He had thrown his arms about his stomach, feeling as if he must hold himself together.

"Helgi told me as a warning. She feared for my life, still harbored a great distrust for you and so when you traveled back to Tir Na Nog, she told me what you had done, why you had not been able to come for me, how you had been condemned to the cells below Asgard for your crimes."

"I did not...I thought you beyond saving. Why did you stay? When you learned what I had become, why did you stay?"

She put her head down upon his knees, "I was so close to taking Brenna and fleeing. I was afraid. For myself, for Brenna, but then you returned with Chris and Sally and I could not deny my love for you. It did not matter what you had done, I would have stayed by your side regardless, would have followed you to the ends of the nine realms."

She felt his hand rest atop her head, "I have long feared you would learn of this and I would lose you again. I was driven mad when you were taken from me, the pain so great I was unmade, venting my rage willingly upon Midgard at the hands of the Chitauri." He bent over her, gathering her up to him, "Who else knows of this?"

"No one, save Helgi and I."

"The children then, they do not know?"

Eidra backed from his embrace, "Do you think I would tell them such horrible things? No, the secret will stay with me forever."

"Brenna resides on Midgard, do you not think somehow she will find out?"

Eidra reached up to brush a tear from his cheek, "She loves you, she is your firstborn. She would have told you of it had she known, she would have asked you, would she not?"

Loki nodded, "I pray you speak the truth."

"And now you know what I most fear. I would keep you far from that reliquary, far from the evil embodied therein."

He put his forehead to hers, "There is no longer any danger from the Tesseract, you must believe me."

"Believe you I do, but the fear still remains, as I am your life, so are you mine. I would not forfeit it."

She stood up from the stairs then, offering him her hand and after a moment, he took it, following her silently back into the sitting room where she took the robe, laying it on the floor beside the hearth, taking a blanket from the satchel. She drew him down beside her, curling into his embrace, settling him with reassurances, promising her undying love as he rose above her. Later as she lay there awake listening to his even breathing, her arm covering his over her stomach, staring into the dying fire, she made her decision. If he wished to move here into this house, she would follow him, just as she had promised. She would follow him and trust him and love him, raise his children, keep his house, stand by his side. Wherever he would be, she would be also.

The scritch scratching sound of little feet woke her up before the sunlight had a chance to do so. She opened her eyes and peered about until she spied the source. Upon the flagstones of the hearth, a mouse sat upon its haunches, a crust of bread from their previous evening's meal between its paws. She watched it deftly turn the crumb, nibbling it at the edges, pause, look at her and continue. _"Ere I move into this manse, I shall bring with me a cat, so enjoy your last meal to the fullest." _She thought to herself.

Loki stirred, pulling her closer to him with a groan.

"We have mice," She whispered, the mouse pausing again at the sound of her voice.

"Mmhmm."

She disentangled herself from his arm and pushed herself up from the robe with a grimace as the mouse scurried away, the crumb in its mouth.

"I have lain too long upon this unforgiving floor."

Loki rose from the robe and stretched, "Agreed." and walked to one of the windows at the far end of the room where he stood silhouetted in the sunlight and she was left to wonder if the events of the previous evening had been but a dream. She struggled to her knees, finding his hands on her arm, lifting her to her feet.

"I will make my way to the barn so that we may start for home." Upon opening the front door, however, he returned to the pile of wood by the fireplace, selected a long log and headed back to the door. Eidra followed him to the doorway. The world had been glazed in ice. The tree branches hung low, the snow glistened like glass. Loki started breaking through the crust with the end of the log, clearing the path to the barn.

"Look at the wagon!" She called to him as he came close to it. He stopped, reaching into the wagon and yanking the reins free, shaking ice off the yoke as he shook his head, "Now are you glad we stayed the night?"

"In more ways than one." His smile warmed her heart.

She closed the door to the chill morning air and returned to the fireplace to gather their things together, leaving one more small crust for the mouse before the fireplace. It was not long before Loki was back inside to fetch her and after making sure the coals from the fire were well dead, grabbed the satchel and they headed outside, "I tried to clear the wagon seat but it is still wet and icy."

She stepped out into the bright sunshine, trying to shield her eyes from the glare of the sunlight. He steadied her as they made their way to the wagon and helped her up the step. She tried to tuck her skirts well beneath her legs but the melted ice still seeped through to sting her skin.

Lightning's sharp hooves broke through the icy crust easily, though he struggled to get the wagon turned with the runners and the hard snow, they were soon on the road, headed for home.

Eidra watched Loki's face, noting his demeanor seemed calmer, lighter than she could recall in recent memory. The weight of his terrible secret, the burden he had been made to bear alone had been lifted, he had come through to find his life still intact. She had captured his heart long ago and now she had freed his soul, she felt complete. She lay her head on his shoulder, "It is a grand house."

Loki gazed down at her, "And it well deserves a grand lady at its heart."

They rode a bit further, "And your brother would welcome me at court?" She was concerned not that she would have a place in Asgard but that Thor had only made promises to lure him back into the fold.

"He has sworn this to me. He says you will be titled. You are already the mother of princes and princesses." He put his hand to her stomach and she held it there.

"Do you truly wish for this? The mansion, the return to Asgard?"

He was weighing his response she saw it in his eyes, "Only if I may have my family at my side."

She squeezed his hand, "Then so be it."

The courier, a young blond haired boy who looked to be barely thirteen seasons, bowed low to the tiled floor as he held up the sealed letter in his gloved hand. Thor took it from him, the boy waiting on bended knee. Thor's roar of laughter so startled the boy that he toppled over to land in a heap, wide eyed.

"Up boy! Away with you to the kitchens. Tell the cook to feed you well. I shall have a response for you to deliver in short time."

As the boy scurried out of the throne room, Thor stared at the red wax seal at the edge of the letter, two snakes intertwined in an oval. He snapped the seal in half, unfolded the letter and began to read.

Sif handed Lóriði the small leather ball, laughing as he tried in vain to throw it to her. She rolled it back to where he sat on a blue satin blanket. When the door to the nursery swung open, she nearly leaped to her feet until she saw Thor striding towards her with a letter in his hand and a grim smile upon his face. She rose slowly and bowed, "Milord."

Thor looked down at Lóriði then again at Sif, "I am removing Magnus as principle adviser to the crown. I am restoring him as Captain of the Guards. There is an upcoming campaign and he will be assigned as its head."

Sif clasped her hands together to hide her tremors, "Milord, has Magnus disappointed you in any way?"

Another downward glance at Lóriði and Thor snorted, "He is better suited to the royal guard."

Sif bent down and picked Lóriði up in her arms, "As you wish but who will now advise you?"

"I have already assigned another adviser to the post." He stroked Lóriði's cheek. "One who knows the kingdom well. A man who will stand by me, a man whom I may trust."

Sif, her eyes narrowed at the barb aimed at Magnus, frowned, "Might I ask the name of this new adviser which so garners the favor of the king?"

Thor had turned with a swirl of his cloak, to head from the nursery but he stopped, wishing to relish the moment, looking over his shoulder at Sif. "It is to be my brother, Loki."

He did not wait for her reaction though her shocked expression lightened his steps as he slammed the nursery door behind him. He was well down the corridor when her roar of anger echoed through the palace and he smiled, tapping the letter in the palm of his hand as he headed for his bedchamber.


	52. Chapter 52

When David arrived at the hospital, pulling into his private parking spot, his rationale had returned. He'd considered calling Chase and apologizing for his abrupt departure but such thoughts were driven from his mind by the main desk receptionist who hailed him as he walked into the foyer.

"Director? Doctor Egan is waiting for you in his office. He needs to speak to you about one of your patients."

David rubbed his temples, trying to dispel the headache that had been forming all morning, likely a residual effect from the party. He nodded, turned, heading down the corridor to his right and was soon knocking on the door to his office. When he walked in, the receptionist, a smartly dressed middle-aged woman, looked up from her computer, fingers paused above the keyboard.

"Helen." David smiled.

"Doctor Wells. Go right in, he's been waiting for you."

Robert Egan was poised over a file spread open on his desk, forehead in hand. When David closed the door behind him, only Robert's dark brown eyes slid up to look at him.

"David, there's a problem with Fred Skinner."

David sat down in the chair before Robert's desk and crossed his legs, "Outside the usual?"

Robert gave him a sardonic smile, "What do you call solitary confinement after stabbing Sue Yardley in the face with a broken plastic spoon while singing "Auld Lang Syne" at the top of his lungs?"

David leaned forward in the chair, "Jesus, I'd consider that serious enough to call me last night.."

"I would have if I'd been available myself. You're not the only one who had plans."

David waved at him, "Understood, so what do you think we should do?"

"Well," Robert leaned back in his chair, "We're going to have to change his meds again."

David took the file from in front of Robert, "He's been on every damn anti-psychotic out there. What's the next step, keeping him permanently sedated?"

Robert tapped his chin, "Why don't we go pay Mister Skinner a visit, then we'll discuss treatment."

Leon was sitting at the desk in the little reception booth reading the morning paper. When he heard the elevator doors open, he stood up. David and Robert waited for the familiar buzz at the door in the small waiting room.

"Director...Doctor." Leon nodded to them as they headed past him down the hallway.

Leroy was already waiting at the door at the other end. He swung it open for them.

"We're here to see Mister Skinner in solitary" David said as the door shut behind them. Leroy lifted his I.D. Card from his wallet and they followed him down the corridor. David glanced at Jesse's door as they passed. No doubt she was on the other side waiting for the door to open.

At the end of this hallway, however, there was a different door, heavier, made of stainless steel. Leroy waved his I.D card before the keypad in the wall to his left and David pushed the door open to reveal a carpeted hallway. Recessed floodlights illuminated its length, the reflection off the brushed stainless steel walls brightening the atmosphere where the décor couldn't.

When David had renovated the hospital, this had been the service area where the janitors kept their supplies, the laundry room and the hospital kitchen had been located here as well. He had built those services an entirely new wing, keeping this one just for the purpose for which it was now being used. Behind the stainless steel were concrete blocks that had been painted hospital scrub green. He had enlarged some rooms, cut up others. Some had been paneled with steel, others with white padding, a few with carpeted walls, benches bolted into the floors. Beside each door was a small screen and a keypad.

Halfway down the hall, they stopped before a door on their right and Robert tapped out a number on the keypad. The screen blinked to life.

Fred Skinner, in David's opinion, had been missing an I all his life. He was skinnier than any man David had ever met. He was skin and bones even though he had a voracious appetite. He had gotten in trouble more than once for stealing other patients food from their trays, the snack fridge, their rooms. At the moment though, it could be argues that exercise was the culprit. Fred was traversing the room at a manic pace. He was shoeless, his blue hospital issue pants hanging off his waist, his shirt flung into a corner and he was arguing with himself in a loud deep voice. Every minute or two, he would reach up and yank his thinning brown hair, once hard enough to throw himself into the wall for which he gave himself another tongue lashing. His hair thus stood up in a maniacal Bozo imitation. As they watched, he started to run, jumping up onto the bench and leaping off it, looking back as if someone was following behind him.

"Yeah, Fred's been a bit busy." David watched a moment longer, looked down at the folder in his hand. "Okay, we might as well start him on his original meds again."

Robert tapped the keypad and the screen went dark.

As the elevator rose, Robert made some notations in Fred's folder.

"What if we could find a cure for him?" David mused, if only to gauge Robert's reaction.

Robert was a tall thin man with short blond hair and light green eyes. He wore a severe countenance at the happiest of times. When he looked over the gold rims of his glasses at David, it felt as if he was passing judgment. "There is no cure David. Not for what is wrong with Fred, not for what's wrong with your special project. The problem is in the genes, or the chemical makeup of the brain or the environment, upbringing, trauma any one of a number of problems. There is no broad spectrum cure."

The elevator door slid open, "But what if there was?"

Robert stopped outside of the elevator, "But there isn't. Why bother with the what ifs? I'll get the new script down to pharmacy, see if we can't get him calmed down enough to let him out of solitary by tonight."

David hit the number four on the pad in the elevator, cursed himself as he recalled he'd left his briefcase in the car. By the time he walked past Julia on the way to his office, he was again thinking about what Chase had told him. The girl he was dating was a healer. Did she heal just cuts and bruises, could she change the structure of a DNA strand? Deconstruct a faulty gene? Create a healthy one? As he sat down at his desk and began to sift through the pile of papers before him which signified the day's work, the affairs of a large psychiatric hospital took front row to his son's current girlfriend.

Mid-terms were finally here. Brenna had heard of them but now that they had arrived, she was frantically studying. Even Sophie tried to talk her down when she told Sophie she hadn't slept the night before her science test.

"You fall asleep during the test, that's just as bad as not studying for it, okay?"

They were sitting in the dining hall eating breakfast but Brenna just lay on the table with her head on her arms, "But if I do not study how will I pass the test?"

Brian leaned over beside her and whispered in her ear, "With yo' pen up your nose if you nod off. Want a cup of coffee?"

Brenna put her head up and stuck out her tongue, "You know I cannot stomach that dark drink."

"Well you better have yourself some breakfast then or you gonna be tanking by ten."

Chase unscrewed her orange juice and nudged her, "Come on, I got the magic bottle here."

She put both hands out, pulled the bottle to her and hugged it, "Sweet juice of the orange."

Sophie laughed, "Juice of the orange, you are too funny."

Brenna sat up, draining half the bottle, "So good...I must pass my science test. If I do not keep up my science grades, how can I ever hope to become a nurse?"

"You have a lot more school to get through to be a nurse." Sophie poured maple syrup on her pancakes as she pointed at Brenna with her fork. "You'll have college too so if you're having a meltdown now, wait until then."

"Is it harder than this? College?"

Brian, Chase and Sophie all nodded in unison, "Try this times ten." Brian added.

Brenna groaned, slid down further in her chair, "Next subject."

"The Rock 'N Bowl trip this weekend?" Brian threw his arms out, "Who's signed up?"

Everyone's hand went up but Brenna's. Chase put his arm around her back, "You said you were going to sign up. It's a chaperoned trip, you're allowed to go."

"I have no idea how to do this sport you call bowling. I told you I would think on it." Her head flopped back down to the table.

"Will you go for me, please?" Chase squeezed her arm, "Please?"

Brenna sighed, "If I pass this test, I will go. Otherwise failure will tell me I must study more. Do we have an accord?"

The music was thundering loud, the seats hard plastic and cold, the lights flashing like lightning. Sophie flopped down, laughing beside her. "Well at least you passed the test."

Brenna gave her a half smile, "Agreed." She scanned the lanes, watching the other students laughing and screaming. "But I will still make a mess of this."

"No you won't, Chase is going to help you."

She could see Chase on the lane in front of her with his ball, approach the lane, swing and release it, hitting the remaining two pins at the end of the lane, knocking them down, then he turned and crooked his finger at her.

"Gods, this will surely be a disaster." she muttered as she trudged up to the lane to stand beside him.

He handed her the ball, showed her how to hold it with her fingers and faced her toward the pins.

Logan had stepped down into the sitting area and was now leaning over the back of the chairs.

"So she's never bowled before huh?"

Sophie shook her head, "No she hasn't."

"Warned her about lobbing the ball did ya?"

The ball landed on the lane with a resounding thud as it wobbled into the gutter.

"Nope guess not." He chuckled, "You guys got your work cut out for ya."

"You see." Brenna wailed, "I do not know how to let the ball go."

Chase held up a finger, "Now wait, this is the second ball you've thrown. How long did it take you to learn how to ride a horse properly?"

"Half a moon."

"Half a...a...okay two weeks right? Well that's a heck of a lot harder than throwing a ball down a lane to hit some pins and you did it. So let's get back up on the proverbial horse and give it another shot."

She picked up the ball which had returned and stood like Chase had shown her.

"Now let go earlier, about when the swing reaches your knee, here." He put his hand on her kneecap.

"I will try." She walked to the line, swung the ball, almost toppling herself when Chase yelled, "Wait!"

She swung around, "What in Odin's name?"

"Aim, honey. Don't forget to aim at that red arrow in the middle of the lane." Chase backed off the lane, "Go ahead."

Brenna stepped back up to the lane, stared at the red arrow and with a swing, she released the ball which stayed on the lane though it curved sharply, taking out the last pin on the left corner.

"One pin! That's more than you got the last throw."

Brenna stayed up on the lane until the pins were knocked down to reset and she cried, "Why did they do that?"

Chase took her hand and led her back down to the seats, "Remember, two chances each turn unless you get a spare on the tenth then you get another ball."

Brenna sat down beside Sophie, "This is so confusing."

"Aren't you having any fun at all though?" Sophie asked her and she shrugged.

"The game amuses me but I am a failure at it."

Brenna kept watching the others, studying them. Finally, on the last frame of the first game, she was able to keep the ball rolling down the middle of the lane and she began to relax a bit.

Chase sat down beside her as Sophie reset the computer for the next set, "Hon, you know it's only a game. The idea is to have fun, don't take it so seriously."

Brenna frowned, watching Sophie pick up her bowling ball, "But I feel like a failure. If I do not learn the right way, how can I help the team. How can I compete?"

Brian had finished his turn and now flopped down on the chairs across from them, "You ain't competing. This is a fun, silly night out. You join a league then it get tense."

Her frown deepened, "But I must learn properly! I wish to get it right..." Her mouth dropped open suddenly and she dropped her head in her hands, "Odin's beard! I am becoming my father! He sees everything as a challenge. Hunting, blacksmithing, milking the cows..."

Chase bit his lip but couldn't keep the humor from his voice, "Those poor cows."

Brian kicked at her feet, "I see him chasing them po' things, "Come here, I must milk you!" they running round the barnyard, "Oh shit, here he come with dem cold hands again!"

Brenna burst into a fit of giggles, "Brian, honestly."

Chase draped his arm around Brenna's shoulders, "Ya know, taking after him can't be all bad, he raised a pretty fine daughter."

"Chase you flatter me."

Brian rolled his eyes good-naturedly, "Ah gawd, I'm gonna get a cavity just listenin' to all this sweet talkin'"

They heard a whoop on the lane beside them and turned to watch Ethan, one of the younger boys, approach the foul line and stand there. He turned, winked to his teammates, started swinging his bowling ball back and forth and let the ball go. He extended his hand outward as the ball flew out over the lane but never touched the polished wood beneath it, floating towards the pins while his team clapped and cheered.

"Ethan!" Logan shouted as the ball dropped with a hard thump wobbling slowly into the pins.

"What did Miss Munro say about the rules?" Logan was now on the alley, standing over Ethan. Out of the corner of her eye, Brenna saw Grace come sailing over to grab Logan's arm, "The same thing she said about not making a scene!"

Ethan ducked around them and took his seat, stammering, "I..I'm..sorry. I forgot...I was just having fun."

Grace motioned for Ethan to follow her as the three of them trudged up the steps behind the lane and walked over to a large sitting area behind the lanes where they started talking.

"Oh he gonna catch hell for that." Brian cried, "I would not wanna be him right now."

They watched for a minute more until Chase poked Brenna, "Hey, you're up."

Brenna jumped up to the alley and grabbed her ball.

"Okay, babe, to the same thing you've been doing. Aim for the arrows, slide your foot, follow through."

The music was loud, thumping. If they had been a bit further away, he wouldn't have heard them, but as he leaned back in the seat to watch Brenna bowl, the words, "Fucking freaks." met his ears. He then heard laughter, turning in his seat to look up at the counters behind the lanes. Two young men stood there watching Ethan, Logan and Grace. One of the men was short, with shocking blond hair done in a buzz. He wore a white t-shirt with two black skulls on it forehead to forehead and large dayglo green gauges in his earlobes. The other man, his long dark hair done up in a pony tail, was dressed plainer in a simple white v-neck. He smiled and nodded leaving Chase to surmise that Blondie had done the talking. Blondie gestured then to the left and Chase saw he had a beer bottle in his hand. His friend nodded and they both moved off towards the bar that made up the far end of the bowling alley, laughing. Chase stood up.

Brenna watched the ball roll down the lane, holding her breath as it rolled over the red arrow in the floor. Waiting, watching until it hit the first pin, mowing the rest of the them down. Sophie jumped up and ran to the lane, "A strike, your first strike!"

Brenna stood there, hand on her mouth as Sophie shook her, laughing.

"I did it!" She whirled around to see Chase's reaction, instead seeing him run up the steps between the counters to the upper level of the alley and head to the left.

"Chase!" She called to him but the music drowned her out. She ran past Sophie. "I will be back."

Chase watched the two men walk through the open doorway of the bar and he hesitated, until Blondie's words resounded in his head, "Fucking freaks." and he walked into the bar.

Brenna saw Chase disappear into the place she'd called a tavern when they'd first arrived at the bowling alley. She looked back at the lane where Sophie stood waving at her to return. She held up her hand and started after Chase.

Chase saw the two men standing at the bar behind a burly looking bearded man hunched over a bottle of beer. He was wearing jeans and a blue checked shirt which was exposing at least five inches of white backside, crack included. Blondie leaned over to him and said something in his ear to which the man turned and peered out the windows into the bowling alley. "No shit," The man said in a deep voice that Chase could hear from the doorway where he stood, "Which ones?" Chase drew a deep breath and walked over to the three men who were now pressed to the glass, staring and pointing.

"Excuse me."

Blondie turned to look at him and Chase had the sudden urge to shove his gauges up his nostrils after he showed them his little magic trick.

"I heard your little freak comment a minute ago."

The guy smiled at him and nudged his friend, "Check this out, Pat." His friend who'd been standing with him, poked their friend the barfly who took his attention from the alley to watch what was happening beside him, "Yeah, I said they were fucking freaks, you got a problem with that?"

Chase drew himself up and moved in closer to him, "I think the one who's gonna have a problem with it is you." His hand had started to come up though not quick enough. When Brenna yelled to him and he turned to the sound of her voice, Blondie's fist was quicker, catching Chase in the side of the jaw. He stumbled to the side, banging against the windows, trying to recover his balance. Brenna had never seen such an act of violence against someone she loved and pure rage blossomed inside her, blocking all other coherent thought as she pushed forward to reach the group surrounding Chase.

Blondie had reared back for another hit, fist poised. She sensed the man behind the bar picking up a telephone beside the cash register as she passed him. Other patrons were shouting encouragment to the blond man and the burly guy in the blue checked shirt was reaching for Chase's collar but all action faded into the background as she heard in her head Brian asking if she had ever unhealed something. Teeth bared in a snarl, she caught Blondie's arm as he swung forward to deliver another blow. All at once her mind started to race through his body, seeing a cut he'd gotten shaving that morning, a scratch from a metal door last week. Still more, the burn on his wrist taking supper out of the oven, farther until she found the old healed fracture in his right femur. The molecules deconstructing, the new bone dissolving away, re-fissuring and Blondie screamed as he dropped to the floor, "My fucking leg! Shit!"

He had torn away from her as he had fallen, breaking contact with her and she stood there panting as Grace's hand closed around her shoulder and dragged her from the bar. As she stumbled backwards, she saw Logan rush past her, heard yelling and she was suddenly weak, dizzy. She clutched Grace's arm as Grace guided her to the far sitting area and eased her onto one of the bright blue couches. Sophie rushed over to her, followed by Brian from the opposite direction, "What the hell, I go to the john for a minute and everything happen!"

"What's going on?" Sophie sat beside Brenna while Grace ran back to the bar, "Someone said the police are on their way over!"

Brenna's head lolled back against the cushions of the couch. "Can we not just leave?"

Sophie brushed her forehead, "I don't think we can now, not with the police coming. We'll just have to talk to them."

The crowd from the bar had spilled out into the alleys, Logan had Chase by the collar and was dragging him out of the middle. Grace was talking loudly with the bartender who was standing there hands on his hips, yelling back at her.

Logan reached the couch and dropped Chase beside Brenna, "Where the hell is Joey, we might need him. Damnit I need a beer!"

Brenna made a move to point in the direction where she thought she'd seen Joey but the dizziness worsened again. Joey was a junior, a telepath though he wasn't particularly strong.

Brian leaned over Brenna, "Dude, the hell did you do?"

Chase had his hand to his jaw, "One of those guys saw what Ethan did, called us fucking freaks, so I followed him into the bar and confronted him."

"So sorry, Chase." Brenna mumbled, finally able to raise her head a bit, "I did not want you to get hurt."

"So then Brenna grabs the guy and he falls down screaming like he was gut shot."

Had it happened that fast? It had felt like minutes to her. She tried to focus, looking down the alley at where Logan was standing, nearly belly to belly with the guy who'd been sitting at the bar and she closed her eyes. She was in a lot of trouble.

Her head had cleared considerably. She could hear the squawk of the radio from the cops who stood talking to the bartender. The paramedics were kneeling beside Blondie, checking his vitals as he ranted on about the mutant stink in the alley. Grace and Logan were talking to another cop, an older man with graying hair. He seemed a bit sympathetic. He turned then and walked over to the couch where she still sat. "Hello, I'm Officer Jacobs, can you tell me what happened tonight?"

She went over what she remembered, following Chase into the bar, seeing him get hit. She stopped then, afraid until she saw Grace nod. Then she told him that she had grabbed the man's arm and he had hurt his leg. "Or rather I did." she sighed.

"Did you kick him?" The officer tapped out something on the tablet he was holding in his hand. "No sir. I...what you would say, I unhealed him."

"Unhealed him?"

"He had an old injury, I brought it back. I did not want my boyfriend to get hurt."

The cop stopped tapping the tablet, "...brought it back." he looked over his shoulder to where the other two cops were standing. "Okay. Stay right here, let me talk to my partners."

"At least Miss Munro weren't here." Brian tried to reassure her, "She gets real upset when shit like this goes down."

Brenna felt tears prickle her eyes, "Why did they call us freaks?"

Chase rubbed her back, "Cause they're ignorant assholes."

The black and blue mark on his jaw was dark and she put her hand to it gently, "Does it hurt much?"

"Nope. Don't worry about it."

"I can heal it."

Chase shook his head, "Later, okay?"

Logan, Grace and the older cop returned to where they sat on the couch. The cop sighed and put a hand on his hip, "They want to press charges.." When Brenna started to cry, he leaned over, "Listen, I don't want to play devil's advocate. Hell my brother is a mutant. I don't know what to tell you. This guy's not any too savory. We've dealt with him before."

"What.." Brenna squeaked between sobs, "What if I were to heal his leg? Would they reconsider then?"

Officer Jacobs looked back at where the blond man sat on the floor of the alley outside the bar, surrounded by people and he motioned to one of the officers who stood talking to another witness. They met a few feet away, talking for a moment and the other officer nodded.

"He's going to ask them if they would agree to it but I can tell you, he's a little prick. My son went to school with him."

Brenna peeked around Officer Jacobs, watching as the other officer bent down and talked to the blond man who was currently having his blood pressure taken by a paramedic. She saw the blond shake his head at first until the officer pointed to his leg and said something more. The blond paused, glanced her way and then shrugged. The officer looked up then and crooked his finger at her. She stood up, Chase with her but Logan pointed to the couch. "You sit, he wanted her."

She walked up to where the blond sat on the floor and the officer put a hand on her shoulder, "Now if she does what she says she can, and you walk away without a scratch, can we call this a draw because pressing charges means you have to appear in court, she has to appear in court. There's lawyer fees, time wasted waiting for the county. It's your choice, just saying no harm no foul."

The blond glared up at her and she almost wished she had split the shaving cut on his face wide open. The burly man from the bar gave him a nudge with his foot, "Jesus, Garrett, you want to wait for that fracture to heal on its own all over again? Let her do whatever she's going to do and next time you might try shutting your goddamn mouth."

The blond stared up at the man, "Fuck you, Holmes." then back to Brenna, waving his hand at his leg, "What the fuck ever. Go ahead."

Brenna knelt down beside him, her hands shaking, put them on the bare skin at his ankle and closed her eyes. The pathway to the fracture had already been laid out in her mind but rehealing it took a bit longer and the seconds ticked by into minutes. She felt embarrassed, nervous. Why had it happened so fast when she'd unhealed the fracture in the first place? Was it her anger that had fed her power?

"You got enough of a feel, Christ?" The blond muttered.

Brenna concentrated harder until finally she saw the bone fuse together again into one solid piece and she took her hands away. "Stand up, it is done."

The blond put his foot beneath him slowly, his face a grimace as if he expected pain to shoot up his leg. When he put weight on the leg to stand, however, his face smoothed out. He took Holmes's hand and pulled himself up to stand.

"Now can we agree to go our separate ways and be done with this?" Officer Jacobs stared at Blondie who paused, stamping his leg on the floor, "Yeah, whatever." throwing Brenna an icy glare.

Behind her, she heard Grace let out a long breath, "Okay, I think we should call this a night, don't you?"

They piled into the two black vans out in the parking lot after Grace spoke once more to the officers. Logan was driving the van Chase and Brenna were in. Brenna sat in the back, her face buried on Chase's shoulder. "I did not mean to hurt him. I only saw you getting punched and wanted to stop him."

"I know, sweetie. I shoulda let the comment roll off my back."

"My father is right, every time I think I have proved him wrong, I am proved wrong instead. Humans are so cruel."

"Not all a them." Brian leaned over the seat behind them. "Some, not all."

"Most of the humans I have met. Only the mutants have ever treated me well. I want to go home."

Chase sat up, "Brenna, don't say that, you know it makes me nervous."

Brenna felt his arm tighten around her, "I am sorry, Chase. I miss my Mama, she always makes everything better."

"Don't I?"

In the driver's seat, Logan rolled his eyes.

"Of course you do."

"Then I'll make this alright too, okay? Just stay here, stick it out."

She leaned into him, "I will."

Chase eased back into the seat, "I'll take care of you, Bren."

She allowed herself a ghost of a smile in the dark as she thought to herself, _or perhaps I shall take care of you._


	53. Chapter 53

For the tenth time, he had nearly tripped over Fen as he made trip after trip to the wagons. He took Fen by the shoulders and swung him out of the way, planting him firmly beside Eidra who was kneeling on the floor of their bedchamber, folding blankets and setting them in a trunk.

"Stay here and help your mother." Loki let him go after a moment

"Yes, Papa."

Eidra took Loki's hand before he could swing away, "Relax, my heart. Everything shall go smoothly."

He bent over, kissed her palm and was out the front door again.

Eidra held out a hand to Fen, "Give me the coverlet on the bed, please."

Fen draped the coverlet over his head, walking to Eidra who smiled though she chided him, "Fen, you are dragging the edges across the floor, come now, lift it up."

She caught movement out of the corner of her eye and turned her head to see Sally standing in the doorway, watching her.

"Have you finished packing already?"

Sally shook her head, "I confess I've not. I've been thinking on what ye said last evening."

They had been sitting at the table musing about their last meal in the cottage when Eidra had been struck by a terrible thought. "Silas and Chris, we must leave them here so far away?"

Even Loki had sat there, distress clear upon his face though he tried to offer up a solution, "I will speak to Vedic on the morrow before we leave. Whosoever takes over this cottage and the land must maintain the graves as well. Does that suit you?"

Eidra had reluctantly agreed though she had made Loki promise they would visit the graves at least once every moon or so.

Sally walked over and sat on the bed, "I am staying here."

Eidra stopped moving, folded coverlet in her arms, "What?"

"I'm staying here. I'll tend to them for ye. My beloved Chris and poor angel Silas."

Eidra rose from the floor to sit beside her, "You must come with us. How can you hope to stay here alone?"

"I've decided to stay in the village with Ren. Ever since ye spoke of the move, I've thought of it. I talked to Ren and she said she would welcome the company so...I will stay here, I will keep the graves."

"Sally, we are to have a grand house with plenty of room." Eidra pulled her hand to her chest and hugged it, "You are family, my dearest friend."

Sally leaned over and kissed her cheek, "And I shall visit ye often, and ye shall visit me."

Fen had been standing there, listening to them and now he leaned over Sally's lap, taking her face in his hands. "Why do you not want to come with us, Aunt Sally?"

Sally covered his hands with hers. "My little lamb, I'll not be far away, but think of Uncle Chris here alone with no one to visit him. Ye'll ken someday."

"Will you visit us often?"

"I did not know 'twas time to rest?"

Eidra looked up to see Loki standing in the doorway, hands on his hips.

"Papa, Aunt Sally has said she is going to live with Ren. Tell her she must come with us." Fen was at his side, tugging on his cloak.

Loki put his hand on Fen's head, "Hush," Loki eyed Sally, "Is this true. Will you not be joining us?"

Sally seemed about to cry, her countenance reflected in her voice, "No, I'll be staying here. Ren is getting on in age. I could be of help to her and truth be told, I'm loathe to leave my beloved so far away where I cannot visit him whenever I like."

Loki stood there, arms crossed before him and Eidra could see he was visibly moved though he nodded, "As you wish. Our home will be the poorer for your absence."

Sally rose from the bed, walked to him and enfolded him into a great hug. After a moment's hesitation he returned it and she stepped back, "I cannot thank ye enough for all ye did for us, Loki. I'll be forever in yer debt. Sure and Chris agrees with me wherever he be." She took a deep breath then, smoothed out her dress and nodded, "I'll help ye finish packing then, 'tis getting on and ye need to be on the road if ye wish to make the manor before nightfall."

Loki turned to the sound of the front door and Sylvan's face appeared over his shoulder, "What is next to be done?"

Loki held up his hand, "Eidra, is the trunk ready to be loaded on the wagon?"

Eidra stood up, "All I must do is roll up the mattress and tie it. We will need more.."

"Eidra," Loki was as her side, "We do not need the mattress, do you recall? Our bed is there already, waiting for us."

Eidra clutched her hand to her chest, "This bed has seen so much over the seasons. Could we not bring it for a spare?"

Loki put his hand upon the mattress beside hers, "Of course, my heart, I share your feelings. We may take the bed as long as it is done in haste. Let me help you."

After a few minutes, the mattress was rolled up and tied off, Sylvan and Moran having carried the wooden frame out to the waiting wagons. Loki had enlisted the help of the two young men and their wagons to bring the household to the new manor. In exchange for their service, he had given them one of his pigs which they had chosen and brought home a few days previous when they had driven the livestock to the manor with him.

It would nevertheless, still be an arduous task to reach the manor. The wagons being on runners as of yet and laden with goods, the horses would still have a time pulling them though a new coat of snow overnight had fallen and would help the wagons slide easier. They worked feverishly by lantern light to finish loading the wagons with what they wished to take, interrupted once by a feeding with Cait of some warmed porridge. At six moons, Cait was possessed of three teeth with one coming, and a good bite. Eidra had reluctantly given up nursing, instead using the horn bottle that had been Fen's, trying to express her milk and finally giving in to cow's milk or water.

Eidra had fussed over Sally, wanting to stay and help her pack her own trunk but Sally had waved her off explaining that she had plenty of time to do so seeing as Moran and Sylvan were promised to pick her up on their return trip back to Rialo. Eventually there was nothing left to do but take a coal from the fire and put it in the tinder box so that they might light the new hearth with it.

Loki and Eidra had ridden out to the graves in the clearing before the previous evening's meal and said their goodbyes, Loki with his hands planted upon the boulder he had made Lightning to drag here. He had chiseled Chris's name into the rock in the manner Chris had told him of when he had spoken of the gravestones on Midgard and it was this name he had traced with his finger as he stood shin deep in the snow. Eidra had wiped a tear from his cheek and they had returned to the cottage for their final night under its thatched roof.

Sally walked out to the wagons with them, carrying Cait with her and Eidra was suddenly struck with the feeling that she would never see Sally again. She handed Cait to Eidra as she and Helgi exchanged a tearful embrace.

"I suppose now I shall truly be the oldest woman in the household." Helgi sniffled, cupping Sally's face in her hands and kissing her forehead, "Take care of yourself. Come for a visit when the weather turns milder."

Sally nodded, watching as Loki helped Helgi into the back of the wagon he would be driving, felt arms about her waist and hugged Fen to her, "Me little lamb. Ye be sure to help Mama with baby Cait."

Fen nodded, tightening his embrace before he turned and ran for the back of the wagon to sit beside Helgi. Eidra handed a wrapped Cait up to Helgi and then turned to Sally, her hands to her bodice, "Oh dear, I cannot bear to say goodbye for it seems too final. I will say farewell. You did so much for me, for my family. You made me see sense, restored my life to me."

She hugged Sally, trying to hide her tears in her shoulder, "I love you, my dearest friend."

"I love ye too, and I will see ye when winter looses it's hold on the land."

Sally saw Eidra into the wagon beside Loki and stood watching as they made the road, heading out of Rialo. She kept her gaze on them until no little part of them could be discerned, then sighed and retreated to the warmth of the cottage to pack her trunk.

The wind cut into the wagon fiercely. Eidra wrapped the blankets about the four of them as tight as she cared to. Cait had long ago fallen asleep with the rocking of the wagon and was now warm, cradled in her arms. They watched the road fall away behind them, Sylvan and Moran often riding their wagons side by side to talk. Eidra pulled the blanket from her face for a moment to look up at Loki.

"Do you wish to trade places with me? You must be freezing."

Loki shook his head but did not turn to her, "And I would ask my wife to take my place in such conditions? Cover up, keep warm."

"And you would play the chivalrous husband until you freeze solid? Stubborn boy."

From her angle upon the hay, she could see the corner of his mouth turn up in a smile, "Stubborn man. My treasure, if I find I can bear it no longer, we will stop to warm ourselves. For now, stay covered and worry not about me."

"Easier said than done," She grumbled but turned the blanket over her head again, seeing Helgi roll her eyes, "Stubborn boy, indeed."

The land rolled away and Eidra fell into a light sleep along with Helgi and Fen though she would jump each time the runners would find a rock or a dip, gripping Cait tight to her. She kept moving to find a comfortable position. Now into her third moon, she had noticed a slight rounding of her stomach, unexpected so soon though she reasoned that having four babies had taken its toll on her body that any change would be noticable. She shifted Cait and found another good position.

When she opened her eyes once more, she sensed the light had changed, felt Cait shift in her arms and giggle. She looked down and saw Cait pulling at the blankets around her then uncovered her head, wincing at the cold. "Loki are you frozen solid yet?"

He had raised the hood of his cloak and so she heard the reply, muffled albeit. "Yes, I will count upon you to thaw me later."

She clucked her tongue, "I am quite serious."

"So am I."

She tried to see past the front of the wagon, "How much further?"

"We are nearly there. Cover up!" He waved impatiently at her again.

She sighed, wrapped the blanket back around her and felt the wagon lurch forward as they started down a hill, moments later, turning into the path on their right. She handed Cait to Helgi who had started awake when they had turned, wrapped her cloak around her and climbed over the hay bales to the seat beside Loki.

"You should be back there. It is too cold up here," he chided her. She could see his face was red from the cold.

"We are here, soon I will be warm."

Her stomach quivered in anticipation, she felt nervous. There would be new people, new routines. She would wish to rise in the morning to make the meal for her family. Would the servants let her help? Would Loki entreat her to stay out of the kitchen, to let the servants do their chores? She huddled closer to him as they swung into the dooryard and stopped before the front door.

The manor blazed with light. A woman opened the door as she stepped down from the wagon seat and ran up to her as she turned about. "Ingrid?"

Ingrid smiled broadly, cradled in her arms was a small baby, half the size of Cait, "Is this baby Eidra?" She tickled the sleeping babe under the chin.

"It is, I put her down so that I could see to the settling of the house for you and she wailed till I picked her up. Silas says I coddle her too much."

A young boy a bit bigger than Fen came racing out of the doorway to grab Ingrid's skirt, "Mother, might I have a biscuit?"

"You may not until we have seen everyone inside. We shall eat soon. Mind your manners."

Gunnar whirled about to face Eidra and jumped back behind Ingrid's skirts. Eidra felt a tug on her skirts as well and looked down to see Fen peering at Ingrid and Gunnar.

"Fen," Loki called to him, "Come help..."

"Loki," Eidra put her hand down to Fen's hair, "Do you not have enough help with the boys?"

Loki put his hands on his hips, "Very well..." he nodded to Ingrid who curtsied to him, "Go with your mother."

Helgi had made the doorstep with Cait who now held out her hands for Eidra. She took Cait to her, wrapping her cloak about the both of them as they walked inside though Helgi halted.

"Come inside." Eidra called to her as she started for the wagons but Helgi shook her head, "If I am to sleep tonight, I shall need to see the wagons unpacked properly."

"Do not stay outside long. Loki do you hear me? Send her in ere she falters."

Loki waved at her, "Get inside."

"She has grown so." Ingrid remarked as they shut the door behind them, brushing Cait's dark wavy hair as she waved her hand, slapping Eidra's bosom.

When they entered the foyer, it was as though she was seeing the manor for the first time. Lanterns hung on the walls, silver reflectors bouncing the firelight into the rooms which had been swept and scrubbed and dusted. As she turned around, her head began to swim. In the room to her left, the library, she saw stuffed chairs done in dark green velvet, a low table between them. The shelves lining the walls had been wiped down and she smiled as she saw a small row of tomes. Loki had brought her books on his last trip. There was a divan done in the same green velvet beneath one of the tall arched windows. Woven rugs lay scattered about strategically where someone would wish to rest their feet as they sat reading.

She walked into the room. Before the fireplace to her right was a beautifully embroidered fire screen on a stand. Leaning against the wall beside the fireplace waiting to be hung above the mantle was a portrait of a young boy dressed in fine court robes, his long black hair flowing over his shoulders, his eyes the same eyes she looked into every night before bed. She caressed the gilded frame, "Look how young he was."

Ingrid smiled, "His Majesty, the King has commissioned a family portrait to be painted after you settle in to the manor."

Eidra heard Fen's yell of excitement and she returned to the foyer to see him racing back and forth in the large reception room with Gunnar.

"Boys!" Ingrid cried, "This play is better suited for out of doors."

Gunnar skidded to a stop with Fen behind him, "Might we go out of doors?"

"No, we shall be setting down to the evening meal soon. Why do you not see if you might be of help in the kitchen." She stole a look at Eidra who was smiling, "Perhaps the cook will allow you a biscuit."

Baby Eidra yawned, pronouncing her opinion of the whole affair and Ingrid put her to her shoulder, "Come there is more."

She led Eidra into the reception room before them and was pleased when Eidra's mouth dropped open. Before the hearth sat two carved chairs. She ran her hand along the back of first one, then the other, Cait gripping the dark wood and trying to pull herself forward. "Our chairs."

She walked around them, reading her name carved into the dark wood. "So many wonderful nights were spent in them."

"And many more shall follow." Ingrid finished.

Despite the promise of a meal, it was well past sundown when the wagons were finally emptied. The trunks were brought into the foyer, their bed, which would now be used as a spare, was placed in an empty bedchamber, the animals were fed and taken care of for the night. Only then did everyone assemble in the dining hall, for Eidra could see the large room as nothing less, at a long table to eat.

The cook was a short, stout man, bald but with a dark close-cropped beard, piercing brown eyes hooded under a low brow, stern though the laugh lines about his eyes belied a merrier temperament than was first perceived. He watched the small group assemble at the table, his arms crossed,

"I will have you know that I have waited this meal for far longer than is proper."

Loki was last at the table, following behind Moran and Sylvan. He spied the cook and stopped short eyes narrowed, peering hard at him. "I know you."

The cook gave a gloomy smile, "You know of me. I will wager you do not know me at all."

Eidra watched the exchange, looking to Ingrid and shrugging.

"In King Freyr's castle, you were a server. Many seasons ago." Loki towered over the man who nodded.

"I was indeed. I learned my trade and set to traveling, I ended up in Asgard,was called upon by the King and found myself in your employ now sit down so that we may serve." He motioned to Ingrid who was in the process of handing the baby to Gunnar when Helgi held out her arms, "Here now, let me tend to her."

Ingrid smiled, handing a sleeping baby Eidra to Helgi, following the cook back into the kitchen.

Loki sat down beside Eidra, elbowed her, "He is a dwarf." to which Eidra turned about to stare into the open doorway of the kitchen then back to Loki.

"Is he not a bit tall for a dwarf?"

"Human father, dwarf mother." the cook was behind her chair with a large roast in a cast iron pan which he sat on the table before them.

Eidra reddened, "Forgive me."

The cook laughed out loud, "Milady, never beg the forgiveness of a servant. They are at your disposal."

Eidra watched him cut the roast, pulling Cait's hands away as she tried to reach for his apron, "I too am half human." She half whispered, he raising an eyebrow but continuing to slice the meat, "And is it not allowed for a servant to beg the forgiveness of another servant?"

The cook's cutting slowed and he reached for a plate, "So it is true. I have heard tell about you."

Eidra handed him another plate from the stack before him and he rolled his eyes, "I serve you." he caught Loki staring at him, "And you, your majesty."

"Your name, what is it. I cannot continue to call you cook."

"Gretten is my name but cook would suffice." He continued to serve the roast, interrupted only by the sound of the front door opening along with voices. Everyone turned to see who would walk through the archway into the dining hall save Gunnar who jumped up from his chair, "Papa is here!"

Silas strode into the hall, making a low bow to Loki who was now standing, "Your Majesty, I was delayed at the palace. I have brought two new servants with me, Hal, he is to be your valet."

A young man, thin with light blond wispy hair, tall but not as tall as Loki, stepped forward, bowed deeply then stood and straightened his tunic and vest. "Your Majesty,"

"Sire, he is none other than Clotho's grandson."

Loki saw Hal turn bright red, stammer, " 'Tis..t..true."

"And his wife, Vesta, who will keep house." A timid young brunette in a long gray dress appeared from the shadows, trying to slip her hand into Hal's. He immediately pulled away from her with a stern look, tilting his head towards Loki. She curtsied, a little off balance, caught herself and curtsied again.

"Come sit and eat." Loki waved them to the table, Hal finally taking Vesta's hand and guiding her along.

Loki took Silas's forearm and laid his hand on Silas's shoulder, "It is good to see you."

By the end of the meal, Fen and Gunnar had fallen asleep in their chairs, Cait was rubbing her eyes and baby Eidra was curled up in Ingrid's arms. Loki lifted Fen up, nodding to Gretten whom he had insisted join in the meal with them. Gretten had grumbled that it was a highly irregular practice but had bowed to Loki's wishes. "A fine meal, Gretten."

"I am glad it pleases your Majesty." Gretten started to clear the table with Ingrid and Vesta.

Loki and Eidra bid Silas good evening and headed up the stairs to their rooms.

Eidra placed Cait with some hesitation in the new crib that had been brought from the palace and quickly set to making Fen's bed while Loki waited, sitting on the window sill in the nursery. "Imagine having all this room." She looked about, spying Cait who was now sitting up, peering through the carved spindles with a low whine. "Are you sure this is not all too much?"

Loki laid Fen in his bed, covering him with the blankets and tucking them under to keep the cold out, then he crossed the room to the crib where Cait was trying to pull herself up to stand though her legs were not yet ready. "It may seem so now but we shall become used to it."

He felt the front door close and walked to one of the windows. Silas had lifted Gunnar to sit on his horse. Ingrid was already mounted on her own steed, baby Eidra in a sling before her. They waved to Hal and Vesta who were headed along the snowy path to a small cottage, a trunk carried between them. "I wonder could I not convince Silas to build a cottage closer so that they would have no need to travel so late at night?"

"You could try." Eidra had walked to the crib and was now watching Cait smile up at them when she put a hand to her mouth. "Oh my, the tinder box."

"Is on the hearth in the receiving room but it is so late to start a fire."

Eidra lifted Cait from her crib, "We could make a small one, until she falls asleep."

A moment later, they were seated before the hearth in the receiving room. Loki had touched the coal to the dry tinder beneath a couple logs, blowing on it until the tinder lit.

Loki sat back in his chair, arm stretched across to touch her elbow, "On the morrow, I must travel to Asgard. There is much to be done. Thor wishes the children recognized soon and you are to be given title as well."

"Then I am to be left here alone on my first day to run a household?" she stroked Cait's hair, watching as her eyes started to close.

Loki turned his head to look at Eidra, "You knew this when we agreed to move. I will be back and forth to the palace, and so shall my family. You, the children.."

"I only wish we had time to settle in first."

Loki caressed her arm, "Everything shall even out, we will be settled."

Eidra stared into the fire, "Were it that Brenna were home, I could be content."

"She will come home eventually. She will see how things have changed and she will never wish to leave again."

Eidra kissed Cait's head, "I can hardly wait."


	54. Chapter 54

Leroy paused on his round outside of Jesse's room, shaking his head. Inside he could hear laughing, giggling. Thumping like someone was prancing around the room. He banged on her door, "Shut the hell up, it's after hours!"

Jesse leaped onto the bed, covering her mouth with her hands to stifle herself until she heard Leroy's footsteps continue down the hall then she grabbed her pillow up and screamed into it.

She had been watching late night TV because there was nothing else to do as usual. The bastard wouldn't even let her have a little laptop. She had told him on his last visit that she was a product of her environment and then he'd gone on and on about what abuse does to a child, the abuse she'd suffered at the hands of her brother, her father. She had laughed at him then and told him that keeping her locked up here like some lab rat was abuse too. He'd gotten agitated then and left though not before he had taken her hands like in some hokey romantic movie and told her he might have a way to cure her. She had told him letting her out of this jail cell doubling as a patient's room would go a long way towards a cure, had tried to seduce him to her bed again, but he had calmly pushed her away.

In any case, the commercial for the cruise had come on again and she had put her nose to the screen, pretending she was the one sliding down the water slide, staring out across the ocean at the sunset. The next commercial had been for maxi pads and halfway through, she had hit upon it, the play to get her the hell out of this cell once and for all.

It was so simple. She had a box of pads which would usually last her roughly two months and she was down to her last batch. Her cramps had already started last night, her period was on its way but the only one who knew it was her. She wouldn't be using the pads this time though. She'd use wadded toilet paper, flushing the evidence down the toilet and after her period was finished, she would tell David she was late. She clapped her hands excitedly. She would even stick the unused pads to the wall in letters spelling out "HI DAD!" just for emphasis. He would have to take her to the gynecologist to get her a pregnancy test. She frowned, trying to figure out just how she would slip away in the gyno's office but that solution would present itself at the time. Then she'd be free of this room, free of this state, free of him. That cruise was looking like a distinct possibility now.

In the early hours of the morning, he had opened the doors of his wardrobe and stared into their depths in wonder as he had gazed at his bed when he and Eidra had retired that previous evening. They had stood transfixed, their lives seeming to come full circle as they slid beneath the sheets, coupling for the first time in their new home.

He reached inside for his court dress, fighting the urge to return to their bed where Eidra lay curled up in a warm ball. He would add another log to the fire in the hearth, the room seemed cold. When he closed the wardrobe door, he was met by a face and he stumbled backwards, nearly dropping his garments to the floor.

"Forgive me Sire, I was downstairs preparing for the day when I heard movement overhead and came to investigate. Might I help you?" Hal stood there, hands behind his back as Loki caught his breath, shook his head.

"It has been ages since I was attended to. I am much used to doing so myself." He made to draw off his nightshirt and drop it onto the bed however, Hal's hand was out, waiting.

"If I might so inquire, how did Sire dress before?"

Loki chuckled softly, trying not to wake Eidra, "My wife attended me at times. More often that not, I would do so myself."

Hal clucked his tongue, stepping back to allow him room.

Eidra stirred, the lantern light drawing her attention and she peeked over the edge of the coverlet to see her husband's naked form at the end of the bed. She smiled at the memory of the night previous, watching him as he slid his breeches on. "What a beautiful sight so early in the morning." She murmured to him. As he turned, Hal appeared from the shadows and she squealed, burrowing beneath the covers until only her eyes were visible. "Goodness!"

Loki finished tying the laces on his breeches and turned around, "Eidra, 'tis only Hal."

"But I am unclothed!" She whispered fiercely.

Loki looked to Hal, "If you will excuse us, Hal, I would have a moment alone with my wife."

Hal tilted his head curiously, "Does Sire wish me to return to assist him?"

"Not this morning I think. I shall manage."

Hal had folded the nightshirt and was clutching it in his hands and he bowed low, "As you wish." gliding from the bedchamber, the door closing behind him with a click.

Loki sat down on the bed beside Eidra, tugging the covers down until he had uncovered her startled face, drawing her out with his kisses as she sought to pull him back beneath.

"Ah, I must not tarry, I am expected at court...gods, you tempt me so."

"Loki, I do not know what to do." She pouted and he drew his thumb across her bottom lip.

"My love, my heart, you need not do anything you do not wish to. You have servants to take care of you." He fluffed her pillow for her, "Now lay your pretty head down and find your dreams again."

She did as she was told, watching him until he was standing there in his court dress, dark green vestments, leather breeches, firelight glinting off the burnished metal of the necklace at his chest. It did not replace the entwined snakes tooled into the leather of his long jacket but it was enough to show all who now looked to him where his fealty lie. At the end of the necklace hung a small intricately carved dark gold flat charm in the shape of Mjolnir.

When she sensed he was ready to leave, she closed her eyes, felt the bed sag, a lingering kiss at her temple, then all was silent. She waited for a bit longer until she was sure he'd left, hearing Lightning's hoof beats as he trotted out of the dooryard, then she was up. She threw open one of the trunks, drew out her dresses and began to lay them on the bed, readying them to be hung in the wardrobe they had brought from the cottage in Rialo. The thought of her old home made her bend over the bed, closing her eyes for a moment until the feeling passed and she stood up shivering. The cold pervading the room persuaded her to seek her bed jacket buried low in the trunk. She donned it then and continued to unpack in the low light of the lantern on the writing desk before the bedchamber window.

The sun had cleared the horizon by the time Loki dismounted from Lightning in the main courtyard and trotted up the steps into the palace which was already abuzz with activity. He nodded at people as he passed them, a considerable number pausing, trying to make sense of what they were seeing then bowing belatedly. He headed for the throne room first though it was empty, deciding to make his way to the Great Hall to see if the King was taking his morning meal.

Thor sat at the head of the long table, his head bent over his plate. He was alone otherwise, save for a lone server who stood nearby ready to assist him. Loki's footsteps brought Thor about and when he looked up, his smile radiated boyish joy. He stood and gestured to the seat on his right, "Sit, brother! Jules, victuals for the prince regent!"

The server bowed low and hurried away as Loki put his hand up, "Thor, I do not wish to impose."

"Nonsense," Thor came around the table and pulled out the chair, "I desire agreeable company and we have so much to discuss, to do. You need your strength, you have ever been skin and bones."

Loki drew off his long jacket and draped it over the back of the chair. The braziers scattered about made the room quite warm.

"Where is your queen and the crown prince? Do they not join you?" Loki nodded as the server sat a plate before him.

Thor sat back in his chair, a mug of hard cider in one hand, "Sif is angry with me. She has not spoken to me willingly in days. You see, when I told her you were to be returning to court as my advisor, she was incensed."

Loki took up the mug before him and sniffed the hard cider, taking a sip, "She has had no love for me, this I know."

"Ah", Thor sat forward, setting the mug down with a dull thonk, "But do you know whose position you now occupy?"

Loki raised an eyebrow, "Gods, whatever have you done?"

Thor roared with laughter, "I gave you Magnus's position. I returned him to the Captain of the Guards. He is at this moment far away in Muspelheim dealing with a disagreement between the Alfari and the fire Jotunn."

Loki couldn't help but smile, "Thus removing him from the picture so you hope?"

"I do, he shall be kept busy and far away from this city."

Loki looked at his plate, sausages, fried potatoes, a chunk of fresh bread and farmer's cheese and he wished he were home sitting across the table from Eidra.

"Do you not think you might make more than a few enemies with such a move? Not simply your wife, but others, the Aesir who worship him as a hero and a warrior?"

"As they do their king. I told father of my decision and for the first time since the beginning of my reign, he applauded me. With tears in his eyes, brother, he was proud of me."

Loki speared one of the sausages, "You have removed an enemy from your fold, at the very least a usurper, and tell me, did he react so favorably when you told him whom was to replace the warrior at your side?"

Thor stood, strode to his side and laid a hand on his shoulder, "You would not believe, brother, how happy he was to hear we were to be united again. He told me to bring your children to the palace, to start their education with all due haste. He forgets that Brenna is on Midgard yet."

"I doubt Eidra will let Fen go so easily either. She fears Sif's anger."

Thor started to pace, "Eidra is the mother of royalty, she is married to the prince regent, therefore she attains the title of princess. While Sif, as the high queen, will not need to curtsy to her, Eidra will nevertheless be an equal. She has little to fear."

Loki kept his thoughts to himself, merely smiled. Eidra had spoken to him before the move. She feared not the direct anger of the woman, but the anger when directed at Loki, or worse, Fen or Brenna were she to return. She had whispered of plots to do away with all threats to the line of descent. She had heard of it in other kingdoms and she feared such a black heart as Sif would think nothing of such deceit.

"A full moon is coming, the time is auspicious. Five days hence, you will bring your family to Asgard. The children will be marked and recognized as will Eidra. In time, when Brenna returns, she too shall be welcomed accordingly."

Loki stared at his plate, "My family will become part of the royal lineage. What shall the Queen think of it?" He paused, "Sif has her loyal followers as well. Tell me, I suspect not many know of my return save Mother and the Allfather, judging by the startled looks I received upon my arrival today."

Thor's hand slipped from his brother's shoulder, "The High Council knows, the Aesir know. They are all who count."

He returned to his chair and sat down heavily, "Odin's beard, it is good to have you back, Loki. It is good to have one whom I feel I may trust."

"If you feel you may trust me above all others, whomever have you been surrounding yourself with?"

Thor smiled, "Do not tease, brother. Come, finish your meal and we will walk. I have much to discuss with you."

Eidra had found Cait playing quietly in her crib with her leather ball and had brought her downstairs, setting her in her pen while Eidra began a fire in the dining hall hearth. As she stood, straightening her skirts, she heard a gasp from behind her as Vesta rushed forward with a curtsey, "Forgive me Milady. I did not know you were up. Shall I send Hal to waken Gretten?"

Vesta stoked the fire then turned around, ready to jump at a single word.

"Vesta?" Eidra tilted her head and smiled as the young woman nodded, "You need not trouble anybody. I shall fix the morning meal."

"Ah..." Vesta took a couple steps after Eidra as she lifted Cait from her pen and motioned to Vesta,

"Could you please bring her pen for me?" She called as she sailed into the kitchen.

"Milady...Gretten...um." She tried to lift the pen, having at last to drag it. When she made the kitchen, Eidra was there to pull the pen a safe distance away and set Cait inside it.

"Vesta, could I trouble you to start the fire?" Eidra was walking about the vast kitchen, opening cupboard doors and drawers, "Goodness, we will want for nothing here."

Her trunk of dishes, mugs, and linens, pans and pewter sat in a corner untouched. Her old kettle sat by the hearth unused. She immediately set to opening the trunk and unloading the dishes onto a nearby sideboard, "Vesta, where shall I put my dishes now?"

"In the refuse pile, you ask me."

She whirled about, nearly losing her balance with the plates, to face a disheveled Gretten tying an apron about his ample waist.

"I beg your pardon?"

He trumped over to her and took the stack in her hands, setting it none too gently on the sideboard beside the other stack of plates then motioning to her, walked over to one of the cupboards. It reached to the high ceiling and he patted the whitewashed doors, "Those old pottery shards would shatter with shame beside these." He swung open the doors to reveal stacks of porcelain plates, crystal chalices, large platters, mugs chased with gold and silver their patterns oddly familiar. Eidra stood there, mouth open and Gretten waved a hand at them, "Finest plates, worked by master craftsman from Alfheim."

"But I cannot...I would feel silly using such fine things every day. Can we not use my dishes when we are alone?"

Gretten fixed her with a hard stare, "And what if company came unannounced?" He shut the cupboard doors, "You do not want to embarrass the prince."

He strode to the sideboard and picked up the plates, "Vesta, take these and pack them in the trunk again."

"But...she..."

"And another thing, what in the name of Freyr are you doing in my kitchen? You should still be abed with your..." He looked at Cait, "Little princess."

Gretten took a small kettle and hung it on a hook pointing out from the side of the hearth, "Now leave me be so I might start the morning meal."

Eidra couldn't move. She watched Gretten fly about for a few minutes then lifted Cait from the pen and raced from the kitchen through the dining hall and into the receiving room where she sat in her chair clutching a cooing Cait.

Vesta watched her leave then turned to Gretten, "You brute! What possessed you? This is her first day here." She started out of the kitchen but stopped, "And she is a lady."

"If she is a lady then she needs to learn to act like one, she should not be in the kitchen." Gretten pointed at Vesta with a spoon, "Now away with you."

Vesta stamped her foot and at a loss for words simply stuck out her tongue and disappeared from the kitchen in search of Eidra.

"Women...and in my kitchen." Gretten muttered, hands on his hips.

Eidra, held Cait close, murmuring to her as Vesta inched to her, "Milady?"

She looked to Vesta who stood wringing her fingers together, "I cannot do this. I will surely bring shame upon my husband. I have worked my whole life. I must do something, clean, cook. I cannot sit here and knit endlessly."

"Milady, pay no attention to Gretten, he believes the kitchen is his territory. I tried to warn you..." she moved closer, "What did you mean when you said you have worked your whole life?"

Eidra smiled then, "I was a servant like you. Loki and I fell in love and we were married. We left the palace and moved to Rialo and then I was a servant again, though on my own terms." She nuzzled Cait and Vesta grinned.

"But do you not wish to relax, have things done for you?"

Eidra shook her head, "I fear I should die of boredom. At the very least I must unpack what we've brought. Will you help me? If you are there with me, they will think you do all the work. Ingrid shall be here soon. It is dawn."

Vesta nodded, "Your wish is my command, Milady."


	55. Chapter 55

David canted backwards in his chair, staring up at the plaster ceiling in his office, not really seeing anything. Not registering the dried paint strokes or the cobweb in one of the recessed lights. In fact, if he was able to concentrate at all today. It would be a miracle and after the long weekend he had a lot to concentrate on. Emails to write, admissions to approve, letters to dictate waiting off to the side as he thanked god that Egan hadn't been with him and tried to digest what had happened this morning.

Jesse had been sitting on her bed waiting for him when Leroy had let him into her room. Her wide smile had unnerved him with good reason, for as the door shut behind him she had thrown open her arms and cried, "Hi Daddy!"

At first he was under the impression she was acting out upon her years of past abuse but when she had winked and rubbed her stomach, he'd barely made the chair as he sat down, his clipboard dangling from his fingers. He'd told her he would order a blood test to make sure and the thought of all her carefully laid plans being ruined momentarily stumped her. But then she had crawled into his lap and asked him how he thought it would look to staff, the questions that would be asked when he sent a blood sample to the lab for a pregnancy test of all things. "After all, who sees me? You, old Doc Egan, the asshole Leroy and his faggot brother Leon. That leaves four men to point the finger at. Or..." she had wriggled her behind, wrapped her arms around his neck, "You could take me to Doc Steves. I haven't been to the gyno's in a while. I'll bet I'm past due for a poke and grope."

When he had balked, she'd made the point he could concoct a story for the gynecologist easier than trying to bullshit his staff. He could arrange for an abortion, save his career, get her on some sort of birth control. He'd given a weak laugh, telling her there would be no need because he would never be in such a situation again to which she had thrown her legs over either side of his, straddling him in the chair, grinding against his crotch, "Of course you won't."

He had held her to him then, his head upon her chest before he'd removed her from his lap, stood up and walked out on unsteady legs.

He leaned forward, picked up the phone from his desk, holding it in one hand as he slipped through his rolodex with the other, finding Doctor Steves name and setting up an appointment with the receptionist for the following week. He sat the phone down on the desk, gently, slowly as if any sudden movement would alert someone to his plan. He would take her to the gynecologist's, yes, but first he would be paying a visit to his son. It was time he introduced Jesse to Chase's new girlfriend.

When Loki returned home late that evening, he found the house quiet. He entered the bedchamber, spying Fen curled up on one side of Eidra, Cait on the other, cradled in her arms. He lifted Fen, carrying him into his bed in the nursery, tucking the heavy coverlets around him. Returning to the bedchamber, he donned his nightshirt which had been laid out on the stuffed chair before the fireplace and slid beneath the covers curling up to Eidra, his hand at her back.

The next morning, he rose before the household, dressed again, and was on his way to Asgard before dawn. He returned close to midnight that evening, the next day performing the same ritual arriving home well after dark. When he'd lain beside Eidra, she'd shied away from him. He'd stared at her sleeping form for a long while before he turned over and sleep took him but not before he had determined that come next morning, he would be home when she awoke.

The sound of a door being shut somewhere in the house woke her. She opened her eyes to see that the room was lit with the early rays of the sun, felt movement beside her and sat up, "Loki! Loki!" She hisses, " 'Tis dawn!"

He took the sleeve of Eidra's nightgown and pulled her back to the pillows, draping his arm over her belly. "I am aware of the time." He gathered her to him, feeling her tense and he opened his eyes, murmuring in her ear, "Would you rather I had already left?"

"I had simply grown used to your absence."

Her reply brought a groan to his lips, "I know, please forgive me."

She wriggled from under his arm and sat up, throwing her feet out over the floor. He lifted himself up on one elbow, "Where are you going?"

She had crossed to her dressing table and snatched her bedcoat from the chair. "I am going to fetch Cait."

Loki was out of bed before she could reach the door, his hands at her shoulders. "I do not hear her fussing, please come back to bed."

She wrenched herself from his grasp, pushing at his chest, "You promised! You said you would rather die a thousand deaths ere you spent a night away from me and now you have spent three!"

He stepped back, "I have been home each night! How say you this?"

She clenched her fists at her side, "So late that I do not see you, barely feel your touch as you take to our bed. I have not spoken to you since the night we arrived. During the day, I wander about feeling as if I cannot help lest I offend the servants so I return to my room and knit. Even Helgi has chores now so I often sit alone and play with Fen and Cait in the nursery until Ingrid arrives for the day."

"As you should be free to do."

She gestured towards the door, "At night, I sit in my chair by the fire and knit some more. Gods know what I would do without Ingrid and Helgi. At the very least we have the children and Gunnar plays well with Fen..."

"I am glad to hear of it..."

"But when the house is quiet and all are asleep, I lie there alone in my cold bed and there is no one to talk to, no one to hold me," She rubbed her growing belly, tears flowing freely down her cheeks, "No one to speak to the little one growing within. Gone are the days when I could step outside and find you in the barn or at your forge trying to make horseshoes, working in the field, pitching hay."

He grabbed her by the arms, "I have different chores that I must do now. You would not believe what a disaster Magnus left behind. I have had to oversee the inventory of the grain stores in the palace, meet with the treasurer, write letters to our outlying provinces. He was a warrior, never suited to be the right hand of the king, only put there at the urging of Sif before Thor became wise to her."

She shook her head, her hands at his chest.

"What is it you wish? I will fill your bookshelves with new tomes to read, I shall bring new amusements for Fen and Cait..."

"I wish for my husband!" She shoved him away from her, "I wish for him to sit at my side after the evening meal and tell me of the mundane details of his day. I wish for him to laugh at Fen's play acting, to hold Cait and make her smile. I was so afraid of this and now it has come to pass!"

Loki wrapped his arms around her before she could retreat any further, holding her tight as she struggled to free herself, finally giving in, sobbing, her head upon his chest as he stroked her hair, his voice choked with emotion, "My heart, my dearest love. I swear it will not always be this way.."

He guided her back to the bed, sitting on the edge and drawing her into his lap, "My brother is a good king, he has found wisdom to be honest and fair even as he is still a bit hotheaded but he has not the mind for figures and facts. That is where I must come in. It will take a bit more time to set things to rights and then I may rest a bit."

She pounded her fist upon his chest, "No, you must rest now. Promise me you will come home for the evening meal this night and every night henceforth, be at my side, sit as we used to, as a family, then join me and warm our bed."

He kissed her forehead, "I swear it. I do, only do not cry anymore. Listen.." he pulled her face up to stare into her eyes, "On the morrow, you will don your finest clothes, yourself and the children. You are to come to the palace with me to be formally recognized as my wife, give the title of princess, the children to be recognized also."

Eidra sat up straight, a hand to her chest, "Princess, Loki, no! A lady perhaps but I do not know how to be a princess."

"Nevertheless, you are married to a prince, an the title be yours."

She dropped her head to his shoulder, "And I shall be ostracized even further as a royal. I wish to return to housework. I want to work in the garden come spring, fix meals, or in the very least, help with the cooking."

"But you have no need..."

"I do not care!" She jumped up from his lap, "I do not ken how the gentry do not die of boredom."

He stood and took her hand, thankfully finding her much more yielding this time, "They find other pursuits. Riding, archery, feasting, needlework..." he smiled, "Or you could work your charms,"

He nipped at her chin and she closed her eyes, "In what way?"

"You will come upon a solution if you think hard upon it." He tugged at her hand, "Now return to bed with me for the short time we have. I will need to leave soon, the children will be awake and I wish to show my wife exactly how much I have missed her."

Gretten spooned more porridge into the bowl Eidra was holding out to him. "Thank you," She smiled sweetly at his hard expression.

"You should have had Vesta fetch it for you." he held up his hand, taking a small pot from the stand by the hearth, opening it up and taking a spoon drizzled a trail of amber liquid across the surface of the porridge. "Maple, from the northern forests."

"Cait likes it very much." She turned to leave the kitchen and paused, "I wish to inquire what we are having for the evening meal. You see, my husband shall be home."

Gretten swung the cast iron pole supporting the kettle of porridge away from the fire, "I have three chickens hanging in the cold cellar."

Eidra nodded, "He loves chicken. I used to fix them in such a way, he would fair sit by the fire waiting for them to finish roasting."

"Did you now?" Gretten grumbled as he spooned porridge into a bowl of his own.

"I did. It is a long process though it is fairly easy." She heard Cait squeal, "Excuse me."

She was at the doorway into the dining hall when Gretten asked, in a louder voice, "This process, what was it called?"

She had to bite her tongue to wipe the smile from her face before she turned back to him, "It is something I was taught by a Midgardian friend of mine. Let me think..." Cait squealed again, "I shall ponder it. I simply must attend to Cait."

She sailed out of the door into the hall where Cait and Fen sat with Helgi. Only then did she allow a giggle to escape her as she sat to the table trying to keep the spoon from Cait's eager grasp. A few minutes later, Gretten brought a pitcher of milk and a tray of chased silver mugs to the table, paused, then stomped back into the kitchen.

"What has gotten into that old sod?" Helgi stared after him.

"I confess I do not know." Eidra's smile quivered at her lips as Helgi eyed her closely.

"Of course you do not. What are you up to?"

Eidra cooed at Cait, "Mama is up to nothing. She is innocent."

Cait's only response was to cry, "Mamamam" holding her hands out for the spoonful of porridge.

Eidra brought the bowls into the kitchen as Gretten rolled his eyes, "Set them on the sideboard."

She did so, turning to leave until Gretten cleared his throat, "Have you thought any on that process you so highly prize?"

Eidra wore her best surprise like a trained theater actress, "Ah yes, the process is called brining, have you heard of it?"

"Brining? What in Freyr's golden crown is that?" he put his hands on his hips.

"It is the process I told you about. It makes the chicken so moist, so delicious, you would not dream of fixing it any other way again." Eidra smiled and turned to leave the kitchen when Gretten swore.

"Hel and be damned!"

"My goodness! Whatever is the matter?" Eidra cried.

"How is this apparent miracle of poultry preparation achieved?"

Eidra put her hands behind her back, "I would show you but a kitchen is no place for a lady."

She whirled around, stopping as Gretten mumbled, "It is not, indeed, but if it please Milord Loki. I would welcome a lesson or two."

Eidra glanced over her shoulder at him to see he had gone bright red, staring at the kitchen floor.

"I shall be glad to do so." and his resulting half grin made her laugh out loud.


	56. Chapter 56

Fen kept fidgeting, running up and down the hall leading to the entrance of the throne room where Eidra could hear the buzz of conversation. The torches flickered on the walls, casting eerie dancing shadows everywhere. "Fen, if you do not cease your playing and stand still, I shall hog tie you and carry you bodily through those drapes."

"But Mama, I am much too excited." he cried in an overloud voice which she stopped with a fierce whisper.

"Fenris, lower your voice and stand still. Your father is on his way. I will not have you embarrass him."

"Yes, Mama." He sidled up to her and hid his face in the velvet folds of her dress, well out of range of Cait's swinging legs. She had chosen the blue velvet dress, her finest one, with the white flowered bodice and the long sleeves. Loki had suggested she beg a finer dress of Queen Frigga but she said she did not want to put on airs. She would purchase bolts of cloth and make her own soon enough. She hiked Cait up on her hip and dropped a hand to brush Fen's hair.

"Soon my little prince, soon this will be over and you may relax." She looked down at him, a miniature of Loki. He had been given the leather breeches, the undergarment, vest and long cloak mirroring Loki's court dress right down to the necklace dangling low on his chest, Mjolnir glittering in the firelight. "You look so handsome."

"Indeed he does, is he not my son?" Loki was striding up to them from the far end of the corridor.

"Be careful of pride, my love." Eidra chided with a smile though she heartily agreed with him as he kissed her on the temple.

"Thor is on his way into the throne room, are you ready?"

"I must be, there is no other option." his arm slipped about her waist for a squeeze.

"Why do you not give Cait to me, you look nigh well uncomfortable."

Eidra shook her head, "No, you must lead in. I shall be fine." She looked down at her belly, "Do you know what Helgi said to me? She said it looks as if I might be carrying twins. I am showing much too early."

Loki's head whipped around, "Twins? Odin's beard, could it be?"

Eidra shrugged, "One supposes so."

"We seem to have made the move to a larger house at the right time, it would seem."

The sounds in the throne room had died down and they heard the herald announcing the arrival of the king to which the crowd responded, "Hail King Thor!"

Fen rushed forward to peer through the curtains before he was pulled back by Loki, "Little imp, stay you still."

The resounding clang of Gungnir striking the marble floor made Loki pull himself straight, putting a gentle hand at Fen's back, "Come, my son. It is time for you to be recognized."

The curtains parted and the crowd hushed, the herald crying out "His Majesty, Prince Loki Odinson!" The crowd, Aesir and High Council alike, bowed low as Loki stepped from the curtains. He could see Thor standing before the throne, Hlidskialf, smiling broadly as Loki advanced. Sif stood stone faced at Thor's side, the Queen mother, Frigga, behind him. Eidra followed with Fen at her side. She kept her gaze downcast, afraid to look up at the many faces following her down the aisle, so intent was she upon her steps that she nearly ran into Loki as he stopped at the bottom of the stairs leading to the throne and knelt down on one knee. "Your Majesty."

"Rise brother," Thor thundered, "And approach the throne."

Loki climbed the steps to stand before him and Thor planted his right hand upon Loki's left shoulder, turning him to the court, "Let it be known to all present that my brother, Loki, prince of Asgard, will be hereby and henceforth, my royal advisor and privvy to all due rights and titles therein." Thor motioned to a young boy who had been standing beside him, holding a green velvet pillow upon which sat a gold circlet in the shape of two snakes hold each other tail to tail, their eyes glittering emeralds which flashed in the torchlight as Thor lifted the circlet from the pillow and held it over Loki's bare head. "Furthermore, let it be known that the title of Prince Regent is hereby restored to my brother with all due respect given him as a member of the royal family."

Eidra watched Thor set the circlet upon Loki's raven hair whereupon he winked at her and she smiled. The crowd bowed as one to Loki who turned to Thor, "My gracious King, I call upon you to recognize my wife."

Eidra's feet seemed stuck to the floor even as she saw Loki's hand outstretched towards her and felt Cait leaning over, her arms open. It took Fen to tug at her hand, moving her up the steps until she was standing beside Loki who held out his arms, taking Cait from her. Thor gestured for her to approach him and all at once she was back in Loki's room cowering as he came at her, roaring. She felt her legs start to bow and she dug her fingernails into her palm as she extended her other hand out and he took it, turning her to face the crowd as he had Loki.

"The Throne of Asgard recognizes Eidra Denari of the House Denari in the kingdom of Alfheim."

A man of medium height and heavy import, walked up the steps to stand before her, opened a tome in his arm, and held his right hand in the air. "Eidra Denari, do you swear to be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty, King Thor, his heirs and successors according to the laws of the realm of Asgard?"

She sought to keep the tremor from her words, "I do swear." Just as Loki had instructed her.

"Do you swear to uphold the laws faithfully and fulfill your duties and obligations as a member of the House of Odin as prescribed by the laws of marriage?"

"I do swear."

"Eidra Denari." Thor's voice rumbled in her ear and she turned to him. "I recognize," He touched his thumb to her shoulder which she had bared. An image of two snakes intertwined in brilliant green appeared on her skin and quickly faded, "And mark you as a citizen of the kingdom of Asgard. You will by reason of marriage, be henceforth addressed as Eidra, Princess of the Realm with all due rights and respect afforded the title." He gently turned her back to face the crowd and she felt a circlet placed upon her head, knowing it would match the one Loki was wearing. She smiled as Cait squealed. The room bowed to her as one then and she turned, rising back up the steps to stand at Loki's side as Thor began to recognize Fen and Cait, affording her the opportunity to look about her albeit discretely.

She studied Loki's profile as he held Cait up to Thor and was struck by how proud he looked, how like the prince she had first met so many seasons ago, age only enhancing, defining his handsome features. Fen, standing before Thor solemnly like she had bidden him to do, bringing honor to his father who was holding him by his shoulders.

Her eyes scanned the crowd, sliding back to Loki, to Thor and finally beyond them to Sif, who was staring hard at her. Eidra's first reaction was to lower her gaze but at the next moment, she was reminded of who she now was and held her glance until another loud clang filled the room and all eyes fell to Thor.

"We will now retire to the Great Hall for a celebratory feast."

A cry of "Hail King Thor!" rose up from the crowd as Thor started down the steps, Sif on his arm, Loki following behind with Eidra and the children at her side. She kept wanting to lower her eyes but every time she did so, Loki would tug at her hand and she would look up, straight ahead until they were behind the receiving curtain. Helgi was waiting there and she held out her hands to Cait, "Oh look at the little crown on her sweet head." As if she understood what Helgi had said, Cait reached up, trying to raise the little gold band and not quite being able to grasp it, squeaked in frustration.

"She is tired, the poor dear." Eidra brushed her hair back from her face.

They emerged through the red drapes where the Aesir waited, milling about to be led into the Great Hall, following Thor en mass as he strode through the throng.

Eidra caught Fen with his circlet in his hands once again, staring into the green emerald eyes of one snake. "Fen, I shall take it from you if you do not leave it upon your head."

"But Mama, how can I look at it?"

"You may look at it later." Eidra reached for the circlet, setting it back upon his head again. Frigga, who had seated herself on the other side of Fen, smoothed his hair down, "You must behave like a prince now. You have an example to set."

Eidra nodded, "And there is no better time to start."

Fen gave an exxagerated sigh, "I thought being a prince was fun."

Frigga exchanged a glance and a smile with Eidra as she pulled a petulant Fen to her, "You must be serious sometimes. No one may have fun all the time."

Cait, sitting on Helgi's lap, yawned, turning, trying to bury her face in Helgi's bosom, "Ah the little princess is fading fast."

Eidra nodded, looking too at Fen whose eyelids had started to droop.

"Helgi," Frigga gazed down at Fen, "Would you see the children to the nursery? They may sleep there until the gathering has ended."

Helgi rose from her chair, giving a curtsey, "Yes, your Highness." guiding Fen from his chair.

"I wish to stay with Mama." Fen whined, leaning over the arm of Eidra's chair and wrapping his arms about her neck.

"Fen."

He looked over his shoulder at Loki who now stood behind him, "Yes, Papa."

"Bid your mother and grandmother goodnight and go with Helgi as you were told."

Fen scooted further into the chair, kissed Eidra's cheek, "Night, Mama, love you."

"Good night my little prince," she whispered.

He turned then to Frigga and bowed, "Good night grandmother." but Frigga gathered him up in her arms and hugged him, "Good night, my child."

As Fen was led away, Eidra turned to Loki, "Should I go with them?"

Loki hooked his arm into hers, "This is our night, let them go."

Her other arm was taken then by Frigga, "My darling, come with me. There are people here you should meet."

Loki let Eidra's arm slip from his grasp, smiling as she stared at him wide eyed and then they were swallowed up by the crowd.

Loki let himself wander, talking from time to time with people he knew, nursing his chalice of mulled wine. When he chanced to reach the edge of the crowd and glanced between the tall pillars at the night sky outside, a flash of silver caught his eye and he realized Thor was standing at the railing overlooking the inner courtyard. He walked between the braziers, feeling the chill night air close in about him as he made his way to where his brother stood. Thor smiled though he seemed sad, and held up his chalice.

"All hail the Prince Regent." Thor toasted him.

"All hail the King." Loki returned, taking a swallow of wine. They looked out across the courtyard to the city beyond, further then to the Bifrost, glittering like hard diamond, mist rising from below to shroud its end.

"The ceremony went well."

Loki watched the crowd milling about beyond the pillars. Every so often he would catch a glimpse of Eidra talking with someone, whispering to Frigga, moving to another group of people.

"She did you proud." Thor had seen where Loki was looking.

Loki turned to Thor and bowed his head, "Thank you, brother."

"It is I who should thank you. I do not know that you ken the import of this ceremony."

Loki saw Eidra give her hand to an old white haired gentleman in glided robes who leaned over and kissed it, "What do you mean?"

"There," Thor pointed into the room, Loki following his finger until the end where Sif stood apart from the crowd, talking to a few people, looking up every few minutes to glare in Eidra's direction, "Stands my wife who has not visited my bed since well before I sent Magnus away. I will not have a bastard on the throne of Asgard, though he be recognized as my son and if we do not couple, we cannot produce an heir. Thus the succession of the line falls to you, brother, and then to your son Fen."

Loki took another gulp of mulled wine to hide his expression of surprise, "But we know I am of Jotunn birth. There are those in the kingdom whom I doubt would suffer me to sit on the throne."

Thor grabbed him by the arm roughly and Loki knew he was well in his cups, "You are a son of Odin as it is so written in the Hall of Records and therefore your right to the throne is legitimate!"

Loki answered softly, "It was not always so, was it?"

"You were as rash and impetuous as I. When you sought the throne, your mind had gone, your soul had turned cold. You have returned to the brother I once knew."

Thor threw his arms about Loki, crushing the air from his lungs, "Nothing can come between a family united."

Loki returned the hug, hoping Thor would release his grip before he lost consciousness and Thor held him out at arms length, "Father has told me he can travel to Valhalla with a full heart now that his sons are of one mind again."

Loki watched Sif's eyes follow Eidra around the room, "Indeed we are."

The runners hissed as they rode over the snow packed road. In the rear of the wagon sat bundled and dozing, Helgi, Cait and Fen. Eidra had insisted on riding on the seat beside him as they returned home late that evening. She had wrapped herself around his arm, laid her head on his shoulder, talking quietly as they rode on by the swaying light of the lantern above Lightning's head.

"I felt honored to have been shown about court by the queen. I suspect Sif was not of the same opinion."

Loki chuckled, "I did not think you noticed her scrutiny."

"How could I miss it. At every turn, she was staring at me with the coldest eyes I have yet looked upon. Tell me you will make sure Fen is at your side when he is at the palace with you."

"I cannot always keep him by me, dearest, when I have duties I must perform but I promise I will entrust his care to Silas or my mother. Even Thor may keep watch on him."

He didn't dare reveal to her what Thor had said to him lest she begin to panic.

"Are you sure you may trust your brother?"

"I am."

He felt her hand steal beneath the warmth of his cloak, up his thigh to slip behind the waistband of his leather breeches where she took him in her hand. She gave him a light squeeze, making him sit a bit straighter.

"I am glad to have my prince home tonight."

He slid his hand atop hers and smiled, "And I shall be glad to be home with my princess."

Leroy watched her out of her room into the hallway where David stood in the hall, fidgeting nervously with his coat, the lapels of his suit, button, anything to focus his attention away from the young woman now standing before him zipping up the brown coat he had given her to put on. "Well Doc, shall we go?"

David looked at her as if he'd never seen her before then cleared his throat, "Follow me."

As they traversed the hall, Jesse poked him in the back, "Can we get something to eat while we're out? I'd like a change from the crap they serve here."

"We'll see, if you behave."

Jesse trotted forward and locked her arm into David's whereas he shook her free.

"Jesus, what's the matter with you? I don't bite. At least not today."

David waited for the buzzer, nodded to Leon as they walked out into the waiting area. Jesse ran over and pressed the call button for the elevator. David looked over at Leroy who was currently frowning at her.

When he had told Robert he was bringing Jesse for her annual check-up, he had asked why one of the nurses couldn't accompany her.

"You don't think this is irregular in the slightest? The director bringing a patient to an appointment?"

"Can you see her with one of the nurses? I'm the only one she'll listen to at all."

Robert had warned him once more, "This is going to get out of control one day." but David was adamant that he was doing the right thing. He wondered if he should warn Chase he was coming but decided against it. There would be the inevitable questions he didn't want to answer over the phone. He still didn't know how he was going to get Chase's girlfriend to agree to help Jesse. Maybe she would simply feel sorry for Jesse and offer to help in the first place. His head was starting to ache as they made the foyer and the front doors slid open with a melodic ding. The black Escalade sat idling under the car port, Harry holding the back door open. Jesse's mouth dropped open when she saw the SUV.

"Doc, you've been holding out on me. Why don't you ever take me anywhere? Now don't tell me you don't have the money cause look at this ride."

Leroy crossed his arms as Jesse climbed into the back, squealing as she bounced on the leather seats. Harry waited until David had climbed in after her and closed the door. As he headed around to the driver's side, he gave Leroy a look and shook his head. Leroy smirked in response, got into the front passenger seat and they were off.

Jesse wouldn't sit still. David tried to interest her in his tablet, he had turned on the TV in the back seat but she had no interest in that which she saw every day of her life. She kept turning around, looking out the windows, fiddling with the armrest, taking her hair out of her ponytail and redoing it.

"Jesse, will you please settle down." David tried to hand her the tablet again, "Look, you can draw on the screen with your finger."

It kept her amused for all of two minutes until she set it down on the seat and looked once more at the cars on the highway, "I gotta take a piss."

David sighed, "You'll have to hold it." He looked at the sign flying by his window on the right which read "Salem Center-20".

"I can't."

"Well try."

She crossed her legs, "Nope can't."

"We don't have much farther to go."

"I'll tell you what," She patted his knee, "This tank keeps going and I piss myself all over these nice leather seats okay? Ready?"

"No!" David sat up, holding his hand out, "Jesus, Harry will you get off at the next exit. She has to use the bathroom."

David looked at Jesse again. She gave him a wide grin and turned to watch out the window again.

The gas station they pulled into was situated just off the highway. So close that even in the dinky little bathroom on the outside of the building, she could hear the trucks and cars zooming past like they were on top of her. She sat there on the toilet wracking her brains, how could she get the hell away from them? Where could she go? The loud blare of a horn from a semi rolling past made her jump and then it came to her. She quickly wiped herself, her hands shaking so with excitement that she could barely tie the strings of her lounge pants. She washed her hands with quick jerky movements, barely drying them on the rough paper towels she ripped from the dispenser and flung open the door. She looked up at Leroy who was standing beside her, she saw David waiting by the car, tapping something out on his tablet, heard the cars and trucks roaring by on the highway, louder now. To her left was a long snow covered slope up to the guard rails, a meager safety net for any car spinning out of control on the road. She stepped off the curb that surrounded the gas station, took maybe three steps and veered sharply on a run to her left. She heard Leroy mutter, "What the fuck?" then yell, "Jesse, stop!"

She reached the snowy slope and started, throwing herself up the snowbank. She could hear Leroy fast behind her, a thump and a crack. She turned to see Leroy picking himself up off the pavement where he'd fallen on the ice. Then she heard David shouting to her, "Jesse, no! Jesse!" and she almost listened. Most of her life had been controlled by the man now running towards her across the parking lot and it was hard to break the habit. It was hard not to turn and trudge down the slope, get into the SUV and continue on to the doctors where he would find she'd been bullshitting him all that time. The honk of another horn above her brought reality screaming back and she shot forward up the slope with renewed energy. She could hear Leroy puffing behind her, she was getting tired too. There was little chance for serious exercise in a ten by twelve cell. She felt her right sneaker come free of her foot, her bare skin stinging with the snow but still she kept on, oblivious to the shouting behind her, only wanting to reach the highway, flag a car down and jump in, or if necessary, keep running until she reached the other side or gave out from exhaustion.

Her hand slapped the metal of the guard rail as she hauled herself out of the snow bank, flopping over the rail to land on the asphalt. She looked up to see Leroy's hand grip the guard rail almost in the same place and it spurred her legs to lift her up from the pavement and shoot forward. A truck swerved, blaring it's horn at her as she ran into the slow lane waving her hands for someone to stop. Another shout, "JESSE!" this time it was David. If she had looked over her left shoulder she would have seen where her feet were carrying her but she chose to look over her right away from the oncoming traffic.

The truck that had swerved to miss her, had blocked from view in the second lane, a large semi traveling at about sixty-seven miles per hour. The driver had just taken another sip of his coffee from his travel mug, his eyes off the road for a fraction of a second. The dull thud vibrated through the cab as he slammed his foot down on the brakes, his load fishtailing a bit but holding its place behind him. His eyes followed the trajectory of the body as it flew far down the highway before him. He heard the screech of brakes, felt another dull thud as a car hit his trailer. In his rear view mirror he could see the glass and metal flying, then another bang as a truck swerved into the median to avoid him and struck the jersey barriers there. Then his eyes returned to the body lying, lifeless on the wet pavement. A large muscled man had run out onto the road, a cell phone in his hand and was now kneeling by the body.

The truck driver's hands were still frozen to the steering wheel. In the pull off lane, he could see a tall man on his hands and knees his face red, mouth open in a scream he would have doubtless been able to hear had the horn of the truck that hit the guard rail not been stuck in an endless klaxon scream.

Around him, cars were streaming slowly past, still others had pulled over and were running to where the large man now stood shouting into his cell phone. One man had stopped as he reached the scene and ran to the other side of the highway to vomit into the snow. In the distance, as he slowly uncurled his fingers from the wheel, he could hear sirens. Screw sixty-five, the driver thought as he pushed open the door of the cab, preparing to get out and survey the damage, he was handing in his papers for early retirement tomorrow morning.


	57. Chapter 57

The wire hanger in the shape of a heart sat on the floor in front of her, temporarily forgotten, the roll of red crepe paper sitting in the middle of it. Ever since the incident at the bowling alley two weeks prior, she had been doing some serious thinking about her ability. She had tried to concentrate, tried to duplicate the speed with which she had injured the blond man with the foul mouth. At first she'd broken her old pencil yet again, re-healing it, timing herself, but the more complex the item, the harder it became to gain any speed. If she shaved seconds off her time, her accuracy would suffer. Her frustration grew and grew. She had been able to race through the man's body in milliseconds, finding the one crucial spot that would be the most damaging, yet now, holding a torn piece of red crepe in her hand, she couldn't make the ends come together in under thirty seconds. What was the secret? What had been different?

"Hey girl, you done playing wit' that paper? We gots more a these to wrap." Brian set another wrapped heart down on the pile in the middle of the floor.

"Oh hush, this is the fourth one you've done in an hour, you have lots of room to talk," Sophie shoved him so he nearly toppled over to his side.

"I am sorry. I was trying...something..." She threw the paper strips on the floor before her, "Damn."

"Ah, you practicing again. Next time someone want to mess with you, they gonna be sorry." Brian picked up another wire frame.

"That is just it, I cannot duplicate what I did the night at the bowling alley. Not with any speed."

Chase walked into the room, his hands filled with drinks, "I hope I got what everyone asked for."

He handed the orange juice to Brenna and glanced up at the TV screen in the recreation room. "Why do you guys even bother having it on?"

Chase grabbed the remote and turned up the sound. The local news was just starting and the woman in the red blazer and white blouse was talking about the upcoming freezing rain storm. He put the remote on the floor and sat down beside Brenna who had picked the wire frame back up again and was wrapping the red crepe around the heart shape. A couple of the younger students were sitting on the couches, leaning over the low coffee table writing words on little pieces of paper and dropping them into a large fish bowl. One of them piped up, "I wonder if they're going to have school tomorrow." and the others laughed. It was the typical lament for students made to reside at a boarding school, you never had to worry about the weather stopping you from getting to school.

"What's wrong?" Chase asked when he saw Brenna's petulant face.

"I do not know what I am doing wrong? Chase what is different? What did I do at the alley that I did not do here?"

Chase looked at the torn piece of crepe paper in her lap. "I don't know babe. Sometimes there are catalysts with our abilities...something enhances them." He looked up at the TV screen where they were talking about an Amber alert on a little girl. "This isn't the place to try it anyway. Too much going on, making decorations for the dance tomorrow night, the TV is on. You have to try it someplace quiet."

The TV again caught his attention but this time it held him as the newscaster, a nondescript man in a suit and looking extremely serious was reading from the teleprompter before him, "And the northbound lane of I-six-eighty-four remains closed at this hour as police attempt to reconstruct what happened earlier this morning when a young woman was struck and killed by a delivery truck just off exit one-sixteen. Our Mina Kingsley is on the scene"

"Man what a way to go." Brian muttered while the camera switched to a blond in a blue parka who started to talk into the camera.

"Thanks Dale. The reason for her actions are still under investigation but tonight a young woman is dead after she ran across the northbound lane of traffic. One driver swerved to avoid her but the driver of the semi who was momentarily distracted, could not avoid her, striking and killing her as she attempted to reach the other side of the highway. She has been identified as twenty-three year old Jessica North, a resident of the Forest Hills Psychiatric hospital outside of Tarrytown, New York..."

Chase's mouth fell open, "Goddamn! That's my dad's hospital!"

The woman on screen continued, silhouetted by flashing red and blue lights. "She was reportedly being transferred to a doctor's appointment by a security guard and the Director of Forest Hills, Doctor David Wells when they stopped briefly at a gas station along the way. She apparently managed to get away from them, scramble up this hill," She pointed to a long snowy slope to her left, "and hop the guard rail, running into traffic before anyone could stop her. The northbound lanes have been shut down since about nine this morning with traffic being rerouted but the police expect to have the lanes opened within the hour, I'm Mina Kingsley reporting live, back to you, Dale."

Brenna turned to say something to Chase but he was gone. She stood up, looking about the room with the others and found he'd trotted out to the foyer and was now angrily pushing the screen on his cell phone, "He's not fucking answering!" Chase roared, banging the phone against his forehead.

Brenna took his arm, "It is okay. Maybe he is busy with the accident?"

Chase glared at her, "Of course he's busy with it. What I wanna know is why was he transporting this girl in the first place? When I went to the New Year's party, my dad was talking to some old guy named Eric. The guy talked to me later on, but when he was talking to my dad, he mentioned this girl, suggested my dad not spend anymore time and money on her. I was thinking maybe my dad had a new girlfriend but now I'm wondering if he meant this Jessica chick." Chase stared at the phone, "And he won't answer his goddamn phone so I can ask him!"

"Bro, calm yo'self. Come back and sit down, take a couple breaths. I'm sure they's a good explanation for what's going on. Give him time, he'll call." Brian steered him back into the recreation room to one of the couches where he sat him down.

Chase felt Brenna's hands on his shoulders as she leaned over the back of the couch. He put one hand up to hers but kept his eyes on the phone in his other hand. He had to find out what was going on.

David sat in the back of the ambulance watching a light snow start to fall. The paramedics had been insisting he go to the hospital to be treated for shock but he had firmly refused. When the news crews started to arrive, he wanted to smash their cameras, grateful for the closed ambulance doors. He kept playing over and over in his mind the whole scene, looking for ways he could have prevented it from happening. Maybe he should have let her piss her pants, paid the cleaning bill, stopped at a department store instead of a gas station. Maybe he should have seen that she was clearly excited about something when she couldn't sit still in the SUV. She must have been planning the escape all along. Now he sat wondering if she'd even lied about the pregnancy; she probably had.

The cops had asked him so many questions, he was sure there were some repeats. Leroy was still outside with them, talking. When David had stood up to run to her, Leroy had been the one to stop him, finally to bodily lift him from the pavement and force him further down the road away from her, yelling, "She's gone, she's dead. You don't want to see her, trust me."

But he had seen her if only from a distance, bloody, her head at an unnatural angle from her body and it was that image that now haunted him as he cursed himself. He should have tried to bring Jesse to Brenna the day Chase had told him about her. He could have invited her and his son to the mansion for the day. Who's to say they wouldn't have allowed her to travel an hour away from the school. He frowned, they would likely have had a chaperone too.

The ambulance doors opened and a paramedic stuck his head inside. "The police want to speak with you one more time before we release you."

David nodded, stood up from the gurney, straightened his tie and stepped out into the night.

When he returned to the hospital at about six that evening, three members of the board were sitting in the reception area, talking in low tones. They stood when they saw him and he ushered them into the elevator. Once in his office, they reprimanded him for the better part of an hour about taking a patient in his own personal vehicle with only a security guard for assistance. They told him a doctor should have been called in to the hospital to do the exam, they had the facilities for such appointments. He claimed weakly that he had been trying to save the hospital money, explaining that it cost much more to have the physicians come to the hospital. The board members had grudgingly allowed the fact but had still chided him for being careless about how the patient was transported.

They'd finally left him with a warning. The board was going to meet to discuss some form a discipline. A suspension of privileges, probation. David had half-jokingly asked if this wasn't enough for them to ask for his resignation whereas they had shaken their heads in unison, stating that they doubted it would come to that.

When the door to his office shut behind them and he was left in silence, he allowed himself to express his grief, his anger, roaring to the rafters his anguish. As he lay back in his chair looking up at the ceiling, his cell phone beeped. A voice mail? He pulled it out of his pocket and read the number. It was Annie. He groaned and dialed the number, listening as the message played out in his ear. "David, I heard the news. A friend called me," Probably that bitch Kim in New York, they'd been best friends since grade school and she had the biggest mouth when it came to gossip. David had often wondered why Annie ever told her anything, "What the hell is going on up there. Are you insane? Taking to dating your patients now are you? If you're not careful, this is going to ruin your career. Stop being such a fuck-up. You have to set a good example for Chase. Call me."

A good example, she was admonishing him? She had not one iota of room to talk. It would be a good example to be successful. He had to make a bigger mark in the world. He had to show his work, this loss, had not been for naught. He would make sure no one else had to suffer like this again, not in his hospital. He would cure each and every patient in the facility and as his mind snapped, crossing the line to insanity, his final noble thought as he picked up the phone and started to dial was "This is all for you Jesse, all for you." He stood from his chair and began to pace, stopping as the phone was answered. "Darryl, David Wells...fine, fine...listen I need you to work some of your magic, I need access to a private file...at a school in Westchester county...name? Brenna...the last name is strange, Lokadottir...d-o-t-t-i-r is how Chase spelled it...how long?...send it to my email...I'll wire the money to you as usual..."

He hung up the phone and sat down at his desk before his computer, staring at the screen. Such a strange last name, Chase had called it Norwegian or Scadinavian. He sat forward, typing it into the search bar then hit enter. The results popped up, talking of surnames. One such entry advised that if a name ended in an I it would change to A. The source seemed to be Viking surnames and furthermore it stated that the translations were literal...dottir was essentially daughter. Lokadottir? Loki daughter?

His son was a mutant, his wife too, as were many of his friends and acquaintances and so nothing should have been able to shock him but there it was. Then he leaned back in the chair and laughed to himself. "You idiot."

There was a boy he'd gone to school with whose well meaning but ignorant parents had named George, an unfortunate pairing with the name Washington. It didn't mean that he was George Washington no more than it meant that Chase's pretty girlfriend was the daughter of a legendary Norse god. He opened his email program, sat back and waited for his friendly hacker Darryl to get back to him.

Fen was in his glory. He hefted the bow in his hand, reveling in the balanced weight, the feel of the tight leather wrapping of the grip. The day was overcast, cold. The snow cover had gained the consistency of wet mush. His father had said spring was on its way as they'd ridden to Asgard that morning. But now, he was standing between two of the most important men in his life. On his left stood his father, on his right, his uncle the King. They were facing three hay stuffed targets on stands. Two sat much further back to the tree line. The target in the middle sat closer, put there for him.

That morning he had been awakened by his father before even the sun was up. By lantern light, he had held out to him a new bow and quiver of arrows, the leather quiver finely tooled with stags and rabbits cavorting about. He bade Fen get dressed for he would travel to the palace with him this morn.

Fen had never dressed so swiftly as he did then while the bow sat waiting for him on his bed.

When he reached the foyer, mother had been standing there, her bedcoat pulled tight around her, arms crossed, whispering to his father. The night before, they had argued. He had hidden in the shadows on the balcony, listening to them in the reception room as they stood before the fireplace.

His mother had begged his father to wait a bit longer to bring him to Asgard. His father had said to wait would only put him further behind in his studies. Then they had gone on about how worried she was about having Fen at the palace under the hateful gaze of that woman. From the way she spat the last word it was obvious to Fen who she'd meant. Though he was nearly eight seasons, he possessed a strong intuition. The white haired woman on Midgard had called him precocious and when he'd looked strangely at her, she'd laughed and said, "Let's just say you're wise beyond your years."

Each time Fen visited the palace, the queen's gaze would follow him everywhere. Fen knew animosity when he saw it though he would call it something far simpler. He was relatively sure the Queen hated him. He had no idea why. Nevertheless, this was what his mother had latched onto and he suspected there was much more to it and may well have been privvy to the whole conversation had his father's valet, Hal, not found him stretched out on the landing rug, face peering through the railing spindles into the foyer below.

"For shame, Master Fenris," He'd whispered standing above him. Fen had jumped up, barely holding in the squeal perched upon his lips. "Eavesdropping. Most unbecoming for a young prince."

Hal had herded him to bed. The next morning, whatever had been wrong between his mother ad father seemed to have been made right. His father stood before his mother, a hand to her cheek as they spoke softly to one another. She had then knelt to him, making him promise to stay with Papa all day and not wander unattended. He had quickly agreed, anything to hurry them from the manor on their trip to the palace.

He heard the creak of a bowstring and looked up. His uncle was drawing his bowstring and taking aim at his target. They had earlier laughed as he had stood the bow beside Fen and remarked that the bow had three inches on him. It was the reason Fen now stood in awe watching the muscles tense in the King's arms though he drew the string with ease, his stance perfect. The arrow flew with deadly accuracy, hitting inside the circle at the center.

"Come Fen, it is your turn again."

The King had stepped back, allowing him the room to draw. Fen's mouth felt dry. He could feel the eyes of both men upon him as his father reminded him to correct his stance and keep his elbow high as he drew. He notched the arrow into the string, sighted down the arrow, feeling the burn in his arm and let fly.

The arrow made the third ring out and he knew he'd sighted too low. He would have to aim higher next time.

"Not bad. He will improve, perhaps enough to join us on the annual hunt this autumn." Thor clapped Fen on the back as Fen turned to his father, excited, breathless.

"Papa, might I?" He had only been allowed to hunt with his father on their land and this not very often. His mother had fought tooth and nail to keep him home until she felt he was of suitable age and in any case he had never been able to bring his own bow. He was left to observe, to learn, often a victim of boredom as he fidgeted without much to do while his father watched for game.

"We shall see how you improve. It is an important rite of passage for a young boy,"

Thor reached over to his father with the tip of his bow, prodding him playfully, "Your son may prove to outshoot you, brother. Take aim."

He could see his father was clearly irritated, unsure of himself as he raised the bow but dropped it again to his side.

"This is foolishness. I can no longer draw. I have told you." He was about to set the bow on the ground and take up the crossbow at his feet when Thor put his hand around Loki's at the grip, "Let us see how far your reach extends before judgment is passed."

Loki frowned and shook his head but raised the bow once again. Fen watched the strain show in his face, then his body as his arm began to shake until he eased the string back with a hiss. He'd only managed to pull back two-thirds to where the string should have been.

"I told you, it hurts so to draw the string, it saps my strength, because of the injury I received in the battle with the Dokkalfari, I have only been able to shoot the crossbow ever since."

Thor patted him on the chest, moving his tunic to one side to look at the old scar crossing his chest where the elven blade had bitten deep, then he took Loki's arm and held it out, extending it to the side until Loki grimaced, "Enough!"

"It did not heal well, that is your trouble. The blade cut deep through tendon, sinew. Perhaps," He studied the scar, then Loki's outstretched arm, "Clotho should reopen the wound, clean it. Try to repair the damage."

Loki yanked his hand from Thor's grip, "Perhaps you should be more appreciative of my skill with the crossbow." He bent down, lifting the crossbow and taking aim, pulled the trigger hitting a fraction to the right of the center on his target.

"Ah but how fast can you reload it? Shall we have a contest?"

His father shook his head, "We both know the bow is faster. I do not contend that fact, I simply say it is my only option. Go ahead Fen, try again and aim a bit higher."

Fen took aim as his father and uncle continued to talk.

"What of your sword? How could you do battle with such an injury?"

Fen drew back.

"Save for a bit of sparring on Midgard, I have not drawn my sword, nor have I needed to in many seasons. Are you preparing me for some glorious campaign?"

Fen sighted along the arrow and felt his father's hand on his shoulder, "A bit higher, boy. There."

He took a deep breath, held it and released the arrow, smiling when it hit the second ring outward. He turned, seeking approval from his father and found him looking behind them. He whirled around to see his uncle in the same position. It was then that he felt the thunder of hoof beats on the frozen ground and joined them just in time to see a royal guardsman on a brown horse top the rise and come charging towards them.

Just when Fen thought for sure the horse wasn't going to stop, the guardsman reined in and dropped from the saddle to one knee before the King, "Your majesty! A courier has arrived from Muspelheim. He requests to speak with you immediately!"

Thor was upon his horse before the guardsman could rise from the ground. Fen was lifted into the air and set at the front of Lightning's saddle, his father hooking his crossbow to the pommel ann mounting behind him. Fen felt Lightning's muscles quiver beneath his legs as they flew towards the city at a full gallop.

"What is wrong Papa?" Fen shouted back to him.

"I do not know. Now hold tightly."

Fen had placed his bow over his shoulder and felt the wind pull at it, lending an urgency to the ride though Fen quite enjoyed it. When they reached the south courtyard and dismounted, the courier, a pale young man who had been waiting on the palace steps, approached his uncle and bowed deeply, handing the King a packet. "Your Majesty, negotiations between the Alfari and the fire Jotunn have broken down. The Jotunn conducted a raid two evenings past, killing a contingency of Alfari ambassadors, some of them members of the High Court. In our retaliation, we lost a few of our finest warriors. The Captain of the Guard is numbered among the dead."

Thor gripped the young man by the arm, "Magnus is dead? Have you seen this with your own eyes?"

"Yes, your Majesty!" The young man cried, "The packet contains the names of the dead on our side. Reinforcements have been requested."

Loki took the packet from Thor, untied it and drew out the first sheaf of paper, his lips moving soundlessly until he looked to Thor and pointed to the paper.

"Eidra's..." But Thor's words were cut short by a quick shake of his father's head.

Thor took the paper then, folding it. "We must hasten to their aid before the Jotunn gain a foothold. Our response must be swift."

The guardsman who had come to the field to fetch them stood at attention as Thor turned to him, "I want preparations made to set out by dawn. Alert the men. I will speak with the High Council."

Thor strode up the steps and into the palace, Loki fast behind keeping Fen at a trot.

"Brother, you will stay and keep the kingdom for me."

Loki's pace slowed, "No, I shall accompany you."

Thor glanced over his shoulder at him, "I need a level head here."

"A level head I may possess but the Aesir still do not trust me. Were I to stay while you went to battle, they would see me as a coward, waiting to claim the throne. The High Council still hold power over the kingdom, let them govern for the time being until we assess the damage. When the Jotunn see our immediate response, they will surely rethink their position."

Thor paused, his face set in anger. They had arrived at the entrance to the throne room where Fen could hear sounds coming from inside, raised voices. Thor looked to Fen, "Take him to mother, let her watch over him. I need your council."

His father bowed, took Fen's hand and led him away from the throne room down the corridors to the royal chambers. "Papa, are you going to ride with the King?"

His father squeezed his hand, "I may, yes."

Fen squeezed back, "I do not want you to."

"Nevertheless, I must. All I hold dear resides in Asgard. I will do what I can to repel all enemies from its borders."

They reached his grandparent's bedchambers just as the door was opening. Frigga gasped, "I was just on my way to the throne room to find you. I heard the terrible news."

Loki pushed Fen towards her, "Please mother, take care of Fen. I must join Thor and the high Council."

Frigga pulled Fen to her, brushing his jet black hair with her fingers. "Of course, go, my son."

Fen watched his father smile wanly, break into a run as he headed back the way they had come.

Frigga hugged Fen to her, "Why do we not go into the nursery and amuse ourselves while your father tends to business."

Fen took his bow from his shoulder, "Might I show you how I shoot my new bow?"

Frigga patted his head, "You may pretend with it, yes." She gave him a gentle push, "Let us go, leave the men to their talk."

He turned once more to glance at his father but he'd already disappeared. Fen sighed, letting himself be led down the hall to the nursery.


	58. Chapter 58

Cait's little hands were flailing once again. Eidra smiled, waiting for the inevitable as her fists hit the water which splashed into her face. She sucked in air, paused and squealed, setting her arms in motion again. Eidra tried to tighten her grip so she wouldn't slip off her lap into the deeper water of the large copper tub.

"She is having such fun." Helgi remarked as she stirred the coals in the brazier to coax more warmth from them. Eidra leaned against the tub's high back and grimaced, the water was starting to cool down.

"Helgi, I feel positively criminal. This whole house, I mean, a huge tub to bathe in. A water pump in the kitchen, a cistern on the roof for bathing water." She pointed to the valve in the wall beside the tub. "It makes everything easier. The only thing we are missing is hot water. That we still must heat."

She scrubbed Cait with the wash cloth and Cait shivered. "I was talking with Loki one day and I said instant hot water was one of the things I missed about Midgard, and the fast wagons they have. Travel is so easy as you have seen. And the ovens, no cooking over a fire, hauling the wood."

Helgi was laying out towels on the divan beside the brazier and she slowed, listening to Eidra.

"And do you know what he said to me? He waved his hands about the room and said why do you think we have not followed in their footsteps? Because we have watched them, we have seen their so called industrial revolution, how it eradicated the old ways, made people so lazy they cannot imagine life without the horseless wagons, cannot fathom making a garden and growing their own food. Alienated neighbors, pitted brother against brother, caused wars in the scramble to possess more."

"Really? And what said you in response?"

Eidra smiled, "I said but dearest, we have servants, is that not the same principle? They do things for us so that we do not have to."

"And what did he say?"

"Nothing," She laughed, "he walked away!"

Cait joined in the laughter though she knew not what was funny.

A movement outside the window caught Helgi's eye and she looked down into the dooryard.

"Loki and Fen are back. They were not expected until the evening meal."

"What? Here, take Cait and get her dried." Eidra handed Cait to Helgi.

She struggled into her dress, her damp skin pulling at the fabric. Cait screeched at the indignity of having to submit to clothing once again but Helgi persisted.

"I will meet you downstairs," Helgi muttered, "Go on."

The door slammed shut as she reached the balcony. Fen and Loki stood in the foyer talking as Loki removed his cloak and placed it into Hal's outstretched hand, running up the stairs. He caught sight of Eidra and smiled but his eyes betrayed him. He made the landing, taking Eidra's hand but before he could bend to kiss it, she covered his hand with hers, "What is wrong?"

"What do you mean? There should be something amiss when I wish to kiss the hand of the lady of the house?"

"You are troubled."

Helgi, meanwhile had found them. Cait leaned over, reaching for Loki who took her in his arms, bussed her but then quickly handed her back to Helgi where she began to fuss and reach again for him.

"Helgi, will you tend to Cait, I must speak with Eidra."

Eidra followed him as he rushed into their bedchamber, "Loki, you frighten me, please tell me what is wrong."

He closed the door behind him, "There has been a skirmish between the Jotunn of Muspelheim and the Alfari. Our guards were assigned to keep the peace between the two parties but hostilities have escalated."

He paused, started to speak, paused again. Over the seasons, the strained relationship with Eidra's family had begun to ease though it was far from perfect. Eldan had visited their cottage a handful of times. At Jul time he would send the children trinkets, he had sent Brenna a beautifully wrought gold bracelet, Fen a slingshot, the handle carved into the shape of a crouching wolf. Still Eldan had remained aloof, derisive because Loki had chosen to become a farmer. He recalled one evening when they had argued outside by the cow barn. Loki had assured Eldan they had everything they needed on the farm. Eldan had remarked that his daughter deserved better whereas Loki had returned she had been a servant in his house. Gradually, however, they'd come to a tenuous truce.

Her brother had been a different story. He refused even to acknowledge Loki when they had traveled to Alfheim to see him inducted into the High Court. He would not speak, would not look his way. Loki held no love for him in return though it made the telling no easier.

"A number of Alfari were killed in the initial attack. Your brother is rumored to be among them."

"Danar?!" Eidra's hands flew to her mouth, "How? Is it possible the rumor is unfounded?"

"I do not know," He had moved to the wardrobe, "But we ride in the morning to their aid." He took his heavy leather under armor from its hook and draped it over his arm.

"We?"

"We. My brother and I, the troops are assembling in Asgard as we speak and we will lead them."

"Loki, please do not go!" She rushed forward, clutching at his arm but he gently pushed her back.

"It is my duty."

"Let Thor go, you stay here in his stead." she pulled at the under armor in his hands.

"I have already talked with Thor of this. I will not be branded a coward by staying behind. I must accompany him."

He set the armor on the bed, reached into the pouch slung over his shoulder, pulled out a folded letter and handed it to her. She stared at the bright red wax seal, the symbol of the realm of Asgard standing in bold relief. "What is this?"

"Do not break the seal." he guided her to the wardrobe, knelt down, reached inside to the bottom, lifting the flocked velvet lining and pressed down. A wide slot popped up and Eidra leaned over his shoulder, staring down into the wardrobe in disbelief. Loki held up his hand for the letter and she handed it to him. He slid it into the drawer then and shut the hidden slot with a click, replacing the velvet over the top.

"I never knew it was there.." She backed away as he stood up.

"That is why it is called a secret drawer. Now listen to me. Tell no one of the whereabouts of that letter until it becomes necessary."

She cupped his face in her hands, felt him trembling, "What in the nine realms is in the letter?"

"It is a proclamation signed by my brother that should we fail to return, the crown will fall to our son, Fen."

He felt the strength ebb from Eidra's legs as he guided her to the bed and sat her down. "Loki, please tell me you lie." her voice was reedy, choked as she held tight to his tunic.

"You see the import of that letter then. Magnus, also has perished in the skirmish. Thor has refused to see a bastard on the throne."

Eidra kept shaking her head until Loki held her firm, "Come to your senses. This will be of little matter I assure you. Once the Jotunn are made to face our army, they will turn tail. Naught will come of this."

"How long will you be gone?" She whispered as he returned to the wardrobe to take the rest of his armor out.

"I do not suspect long at all. It shall take us a day to get there. I will not promise a day or a time, only that I will be back."

Eidra followed him down the stairway to the foyer where Fen waited with Hal and Helgi. He handed his armor to Hal who seemed to sag beneath the weight then he leaned over to Fen, "Take care of your mother and your sister. I expect you to be the man of the house while I am away."

Fen had never been one for stoicism and he wrapped his arms about Loki's neck, "I will Papa, I will."

Loki lifted him up in a great hug, "I know you shall."

"Must you leave now, before the evening meal?" Eidra clasped her hands together before her.

"Soonest begun is soonest done my heart." He held up his hand, then reached around his neck and drew the Uruz over his head, placing it over hers where he pressed it to her chest, "I fear the loss of this treasure. Keep it safe."

She made to remove it from her neck, "But what if you have need of it?"

He caught her up in a kiss that took her breath away, "I will need nothing but my sword and my crossbow. I will return soon."

For a long time after the door had closed behind him, she sat in the reception room before the fire. She had rocked Cait to sleep and her heavy warmth soothed Eidra though the pressure on her growing belly was becoming uncomfortable. Fen had been playing with his animals before the evening meal with Gunnar but now that Ingrid had brought him home, Fen had curled up with a blanket and his carved elephant in Loki's chair and had also drifted off to sleep. Eidra reached over into the chair and stroked his dark hair. It had grown a bit since Chris had passed on. She could scarce believe that the man who had seen to it she paid the ultimate price for loving his brother was now ready to set the crown of Asgard upon her son's head. Fen grunted in his sleep and burrowed deeper into the blanket as Eidra stared into the flames and thought of Loki.

"Jesus, Paul will ya be careful with this goddamn stuff. It costs a fortune and I ain't gonna take it outta my paycheck if it comes up dented." Gary's partner was butter-fingered in the best of situations but when they'd arrived at the nuthouse and the head honcho had informed him the metal sheets he was having them install behind the stainless steel walls cost upwards of ten thousand dollars a sheet, Gary had started to sweat. He'd stopped counting the sheets in the stacks at one hundred. When he picked up the first sheet of metal, he himself nearly dropped it, setting it back down gingerly with a yelp.

"What's wrong Gary?" Paul had walked over to him, scratching his thinning brown hair.

Gary had pointed to the stack, "Them damn things got some sort of electrical charge running through them. You can feel it, go on, touch them."

Paul had backed away, "Naw, I ain't touching them."

"Well we gots ta' put them up." He'd given Paul a shove, toppling him forward to plant his palms on the smooth metal. Paul had then given a screech much like Gary. "Oh man, what if these things are radioactive, dude?"

Paul had looked paler than usual and that was saying something. Gary had inched towards the sheets again. He reached over and lifted one up. It was lighter than it looked, as if it was made of something between steel and aluminum. He'd held it up from the stack and once it lost contact with the other sheets, the humming faded. He had picked up a handful of the brackets they were going to set into and tilted his head towards the corridor before them. "Come on, we got a whole hallway to do plus some a those rooms. We're gonna be here too long as it is."

Now they had moved down the hallway on the right side almost to the end, unscrewing the tall panels covering the painted concrete, setting the brackets into the wall, setting the metal sheets and replacing the stainless steel. It was back breaking work. They'd moved on to wearing gloves when the sheets started to cut into the pads on their fingers.

The head honcho, a severe looking but handsome tall man, had visited them later in the day, asking how long it would take to do the job now that they'd gotten started and Gary had given him an estimate of another two days maybe three tops. The guy had told him the faster the better and Gary had promised they would get a move on. As the guy had walked away down the corridor behind them, Gary had watched him stop at one of the doors and stand there for a long while before moving on.

As they worked, attaching the brackets, setting the sheets to adjoin one another, Gary noted that the humming had resumed along the walls now. "That's damn creepy, you ask me."

"What the heck are these things supposed ta do anyway, Gary?" Paul drilled another screw hole into the concrete, measured it with a level and marked the next hole with a pencil.

"Hell, I guess they're like reinforcement. I don't know what he's planning on keeping down here. Maybe he's got some real strong nutjobs up there."

"Ya never know what with those freaks nowadays. Prolly got himself some guy can bust through walls up there." Paul fished his cell phone out of his jeans pocket and looked at it, "Hey it's after four We ought to start packing it in."

Gary tightened the screws on the stainless steel, "I'd say we stay and finish what we can but I need to get outta here for the day."

David sat before his computer. He'd typed up his notes for the day. Now he would be able to focus on his project. He opened the email from Darryl once again, even though he knew exactly what it read. It simply served to reinforce his goal.

When he had first opened the file a couple of weeks ago and read through the file on Brenna, he had been frustrated. It had listed her name just as Chase had told him but when it came down to her personal info, all that had been written where the names of her parents should have been was the word "Classified"

If the girl wasn't allowed to travel without a chaperone and what he wanted to ask her to do was way outside the realm of acceptable, he was either going to have to kidnap her, something he refused to do except as a last resort or make her want to come to him. For that he needed a bargaining chip, a draw so powerful she would do anything he asked.

He thought about taking Chase out of school, keeping him home, after all, love was a great reason to break the rules, but truth be told, he was a bit afraid of his son, at the very least afraid of what he could do. Being faced then with a dead end he had decided that help of another kind was needed. He had to find out what was in her file that was so serious it would be termed classified and then he had to figure out what to do with the information.

He knew that digging deeper could well put him in serious danger if he was caught but those moments of lucidity occurred rarely now. When he'd finally decided to contact Jay, he had his checkbook out and ready, knowing it was going to cost him to go this far and he'd been right.

Jay didn't need to know firewalls, back doors, codes. Not when he could manipulate the world wide web with his mind. He could extract data with a touch of his hand and he made a very comfortable if precarious living doing so. Predictably he flew below the radar. His benefactors made sure of it. David had met him soon after he graduated college, Annie had introduced them and he'd given David a bit of help when he needed to increase his capital for the hospital renovation. This task had been far more complex but within an hour, he'd had the information sitting before him in a flash drive on his desk.

When David had opened the drive staring at the folders marked "Loki" and "Eidra" respectively, he hadn't really expected to take a trip further into the world of unreality. He read the file marked Loki three times through, not even touching on the file marked "New York" with its picture and video subfolders. Then he sat back and simply stared at the screen. Brenna was the daughter of a psycopathic god. He stared at the folder marked New York for a long time before he opened it and started to read. By the time he was finished, the god had changed, in his mind to an immensely powerful man, but a man just the same, certainly not one of the legendary immortals he'd heard tell about and he had formulated a partial plan though there were still holes in it. When he clicked on the folder marked Eidra, however, the name beneath her place of birth screamed out at him, "Alfheim" and all at once he had his answer but there was still work to do first.


	59. Chapter 59

He was wet, soaked through to the bone, the rain mixing with sleet in a torrent that seemed to increase with every step. He glanced at his brother as they walked through the slushy mud. The water fair streamed from the tip of his pony tail, the braid at his shoulder, his beard. Thank Odin he had worn his battle helmet. The ceremonial horns would have had water running in rivulets down his face. Thor's face was set, determined as they neared the large tent where two guards stood outside the tent flap. As they approached, the guards bowed and lifted the flaps for them to enter.

Just inside to the left stood King Freyr who nodded to them. The bodies of the fallen lay in a row, covered to the chest with blankets as if they were only asleep though the illusion was shattered here and there by a split skull, a chest cracked open like an eggshell, the absence of a head altogether. The back of the man kneeling beside the second body in the line held a familiar form. Eldan was stroking Danar's brow, smoothing the hair from his forehead. He was murmuring something, chanting, perhaps a prayer for the dead. Loki walked up behind him. In his peripheral vision, he saw Thor move further down the line.

He stood, waiting till Eldan fell quiet, "I feel your pain and I share it."

Eldan grunted, "At the very least you had the fortune of losing your son swiftly. You were spared the agony of watching him grow to a man, become respected, gain a position of power and then having his life cut short."

"A different sort of pain then, I suffered the agony of opportunity lost, of never knowing what might have been had my son lived."

Eldan nodded slowly, "Then I accept your condolences." Eldan pivoted around and struggled to his feet, ignoring Loki's outstretched hand. They retreated from between the slain warriors. "Tell me, does Eidra know of Danar's fate?"

Loki thought of the scroll in Thor's pouch, "It was rumored but yet to be confirmed."

"Ah, well you will confirm it for her will you not?"

"I shall." Loki nodded, "Please excuse me, I must speak with my brother."

Thor was standing before the battered body of Magnus who looked as if he had gone to his death nobly though in agony. The stone dagger which had ended his life had left a puncture under his chin but a gaping hole just above his right eyebrow where the blade had exited. Thor's hands had curled into fists and he was panting hard. Loki put his hand on Thor's shoulder, felt the knot of muscles trembling

"We will bring the other warriors home for a proper funeral, him we will bury here with his weapons for he shall need them to fight his way through Helheim."

Loki shook him, "We will bring him home with the others and give him the funeral a warrior deserves because in the eyes of the people that is what he is. He has died in battle, do you wish to dishonor him then and spend eternity by his side at Valhalla in shame?"

Thor wrenched his shoulder from beneath Loki's hand, bellowing angrily, "Would you not wish to do the same were the situation yours? Would you not wish to strip all honor from him?"

Loki shoved him further down the tent away from Freyr and Eldan who had stopped talking and were now watching them curiously.

"By Odin!" Loki hissed, "Keep your voice down. Do you wish to announce to the entire realm your secret sufferings? You have asked me to be your adviser and so now I advise you not to stray from the norm. He has paid his price and you are free from your tormentor. Let that be enough."

Thor wanted to vent his rage, Loki could well see it. The set of his jaw, the weight of his brow, the pain in his eyes. "What would you do brother, had it been you?"

Loki looked to the dead Magnus, "It would have been my dagger buried in his skull, but you do not have the luxury of such an action now that you are king. Please, listen to me."

Thor took a deep breath and let it out slowly, his hands relaxing. He turned to Loki, "Very well, your advice is sound. I will do as you say, but mark my words, brother, he has wronged his king, committed adultery, dishonored his family by his actions. We will not see him in Valhalla if he be judged well and truly."

"Then there be your compensation for your patience," Loki nodded towards Freyr and Eldan, "Come, we have much to discuss."

Thor glanced once more at Magnus's body, "Yes, let my thoughts to more pressing matters."

King Freyr, seeing them approach, opened the tent flap for them, "Let us leave this place of death and repair to my own tent to talk."

The constant percussion of the rain on the oilcloth of the tent seemed to bear down with an invisible weight upon him. He tried to listen to Freyr, Thor, Eldan and the others discuss their next moves but the ride to the camp, the wet clothing, the hunger gnawing at his stomach all served to sap his strength. He leaned his head back against the chair for a moment and the next thing he knew, Thor was jabbing him in the side, whispering, "Loki, have you heard nothing of what we have said?"

Loki's eyes flew open and he looked about the tent grateful at least that the others were still talking though Freyr did have his gaze set on him.

"Forgive me brother. I am exhausted."

Thor had been about to chide him but Freyr spoke up, "We have all had a trying day. We cannot hope to defend our camp much less our realm if our senses be dulled by fatigue. Surtr has declared a temporary truce."

"And how trustworthy is Surtr?" Thor crossed his arms, staring across the long table at Freyr.

"We have sentries posted. I am not so foolish as to presume he will keep his word"

When they made their tent, Thor immediately fell into his cot and was asleep in moments. Maddeningly, Loki, who had been so tired a short time before, now lay on his cot thinking of home. The rain had stopped and the silence that followed was deafening. Finally he sat up, pulled on his boots, grabbed his cloak and emerged into a darkened, quiet camp punctuated here and there by campfires, torches. Low voices drifted to him from the darkness as he walked between the tents until he came to the end of the encampment at the top of a hill. Across a deep valley lay the encampment of the Jotunn though he thought it more resembled the realm of Hel. Bonfires lay across the outer edge of the encampment, their flames rising high into the air, illuminating the crude shelters beyond. He stood watching for signs of life but their camp was similarly silent. He found himself muttering a few old spells just to refresh his memory.

As he returned to the rows of tents, he noticed one tent a bit larger than the others in the row. Two Alfari warriors stood sentinel before it. When they saw him approaching, they stood at attention.

He stopped before them, "What is inside this tent?"

The warrior on his left barked an answer, "One of the Jotunn prisoners, your Majesty."

"I was not aware any had been taken." He nodded to the warrior, turned to go but then whirled around, "I would like to speak to the prisoner."

The warrior who had first spoken, glanced over to his partner who nodded and raised the tent flap. "You may enter."

The interior of the tent was sweltering. Four braziers burned in the center, vented to the heavens by the hole at the apex of the central tent pole and yet the young Jotunn still shivered as he lay on a pallet as close as possible to them.

His skin was a shade of blood red. He wore heavy leather armor plate and leather breeches that were dark ebony, his undershirt looked to be made of brown wool. His black hair half hid his face and when he moved to change position, Loki heard the clink of chains. The Alfari had bound him with manacles made from elven metal.

Loki had made up his mind to return to his tent when the Jotunn's eyes opened and he sat up. His head reached over halfway to the top of the tent and Loki knew were he to stand up, he would be able to peek through the vent hole at the top. Loki, even as tall as he was, would probably reach his waist at best. The Jotunn leaned over and peered around the braziers at Loki with eyes as black as coal save for the irises which were fire red.

"The legends are true." his voice was oddly lyrical, out of place with his bearing.

Loki was taken aback, "What is your name prisoner?"

"Gungrail, and you are the son of Farbauti and Laufey, our brothers and sisters in Jotunnheim."

Loki wanted to race from the tent but he forced himself to stay, "How know you what I am?" He recalled the same reaction he'd received from Nala when they were at Brenna's school.

Gungrail smiled, his teeth shining like polished hematite, "It is plain to me. I see your true form though you appear human. You are Jotunn. We have been told your story many times, how Odin took you from the sacrificial altar in the temple on Jotunnheim and raised you as an Asgardian prince. You were an aberration." he looked Loki over, "You are indeed small for a Jotunn."

"I am tall for an Asgardian!" He snarled, "I curse my Jotunn blood."

Gugnrail frowned, leaning forward on his hands, "There are far worse fates in this realm than being a Jotunn."

"I can think of nothing worse save facing a war over trade routes and border disputes yet again."

Gungrail sat back, his look of confusion surprising Loki, "Trade routes...?" and his face cracked into a great grin as he roared, "Is that what the mighty King Freyr has told you? Pray tell me more and then I shall tell you another tale equally engaging."

"Freyr has said you wished to use an ancient trade route through Alfheim which has been closed for centuries because of skirmishes and disputes and so you wished to expand your borders to include the route."

Gungrail nodded, "Very good, a bit dull though. Now let me tell you the real reason. It is one you may sympathize with or you may rebuke utterly. Freyr has told you false. We are at war because of love."

Loki looked behind him as if expecting to see Freyr standing there, "Love? How so?"

Gungrail leaned closer to him, nearly straddling the braziers, "Do you think you are alone in this world? There are others of our race who walk among you in human form. In this way we trade, barter, work within the realms and also do we find mates, produce offspring who have a place in two realms as do yours. The tragedy behind this disagreement is not one of trade or borders. A son of Surtr and the daughter of an Alfari nobleman have fallen in love and mated."

Chills coursed through Loki's body, "I have witnessed firsthand the fate of an Alfari woman who chooses to mate outside her race. I have also heard lies told from one whose fate hangs in the balance as seems to be the case with you. Tell me, where be these two star-crossed lovers?"

Gungrail pointed with a gracefully tapered finger outside the tent, "The woman, I am told, is sequestered inside Freyr's castle at the behest of her parents and she awaits an audience with the Alfari High Court. The young Jotunn has returned to us and now waits on the other side of the valley. His name is Velos."

Loki stood silent, staring into the flames of the braziers as Gungrail sat back on his haunches, hands held up to the fire. "It is a curious thing how very different we are in some things and yet how very much alike in others. You do not feel the cold, you may walk on snow and ice without suffering any ill effects. We, on the other hand, may walk through fire without fear of being burned and yet we both feel love and hatred and fear and sadness in equal measure."

Loki half heard Gungrail's musings. He stepped back towards the tent flap, "I must go."

"What will you do with what I have told you?"

But Loki did not answer him, merely turned and walked through the entrance into the night.

Once outside, he stood between the two sentries, his breath ghosting into the cold air, after a moment's hesitation, he turned towards the edge of camp and started to walk until he was once again looking across the valley at the Jotunn bonfires. He drew his dagger out of his scabbard, laying it across the palms of his hands and holding it out before him, he started down the slope into the valley below.

"Gilad look!"

The sentry had been busy honing the tip of his spear when he heard his companion's fierce whisper.

"What is it, Tolen?"

"There is something moving about in the valley, it looks to be coming this way!"

Tolen stood up, scanning the darkness until he detected the faintest of movement. "I see. It is likely an animal, a deer, or a wolf." He raised his spear, waiting as it approached.

"Wait, Gilad."

Gilad lowered his spear though he had a hand on his dagger as they strained their vision to the furthest reaches of the bonfires.

"It is a human! A man!" Tolen cried and once again Gilad raised his spear, "He is carrying something before him."

A few more steps and Gilad whispered, "His dagger, he holds it in a sign of peace."

"Should we wake Surtr?" Tolen glanced behind him at the encampment.

"Let us hear what he wants first."

Loki saw the two sentries step forward of the line of bonfires, both their spears at the ready.

"We acknowledge your sign of peace. Who are you and why have you come here?"

Loki extended the dagger upwards towards them, "I am Loki, son of Odin, prince regent of Asgard. I wish to speak with one who is in your camp."

Gilad looked to Tolen then back to Loki, "I have heard of you, brother." He held out his hand to Loki who placed the dagger in his palm. Gilad plucked the dagger out of his hand with two fingers. "Remarkable." he nodded to Tolen, "Who is it you wish to speak with?"

Loki bowed slightly, "The one among you named Velos."


	60. Chapter 60

As they advanced into the camp, Loki walking between them, other Jotunn began to emerge from their shelters. A murmur arose around them until they stopped at a shelter set deep in the encampment.

"Wait here." Gilad held up his massive hand and knocked at the heavy wooden door. Loki heard a muffled voice, "Enter." and Gilad stepped inside. Loki was able to catch a glimpse only of the bright glow of a fire, making hunched shadows dance on the far wall then the door shut again.

As he waited, he felt the other sentry's gaze boring into him. He looked up, expecting the sentry to look away but he merely tilted his head.

"Why do you stare at me?"

"It is rare that we ever see one of our brothers from the land of ice and snow. They...keep to themselves."

Loki focused on the door before him, "And it is well that they do."

"You do not claim them as your people?"

Loki only shook his head. Any response he could have formed would most certainly offend.

The door swung open and the other sentry waved him inside, "I will inform Surtr you are here."

Loki knew they would have no choice, though to harm a visitor who had come in peace would be a serious breach of protocol, there he was not worried.

He entered the shelter to find a Jotunn standing beside an ironwork cot, the bedcovers undone. The Jotunn was adjusting his leather jerkin and seemed ill at ease as Loki sized him up. He was shorter than the two sentries who had brought Loki there though Loki still only reached his sternum. He was young, he could have been considered handsome for his race, possessing the lighter red skin and gleaming black hair he was currently pulling into a ponytail with a particular grace.

"I am Loki of Asgard."

The Jotunn nodded curtly, stuttering his reply, " Ve..Velos of Mus...pelhieim."

"I have come here because of a conversation I have had with a prisoner of war in our camp. His name is Gungrail, you know of him?"

"Yes, of course, we thought he too had been killed. He yet lives?" Velos waved to a table beside the bed, "Might I offer you some wine? It is a fine vintage. The grapes grow so very well in our soil."

Loki bowed graciously, "I have heard tell of your vineyards."

As he watched Velos pour the wine into two goblets, he was struck by how very unlike their counterparts in Jotunheim the Jotunn of Muspelheim had always been. How barbaric the frost giants were, warlike, uncivilized. They had no wish to trade with the other realms, repelling intruders with deadly force.

"Forgive me, this is the smallest chalice I have." Velos handed Loki a goblet which looked very much like a small basin on a pedestal.

"Then you will forgive me if I cannot drink all of the wine. I must return to my encampment with my senses about me." They touched chalices, "Exceeding fine." Loki murmured.

"It calms my nerves, truth be told." Velos gripped the chalice like a lifeline, "Tell me, what did Gungrail tell you that you would come to our encampment to speak with me?"

"He told me this dispute has nothing to do with borders or trade as we have been told."

Velos's mouth dropped open, "Borders? No, not at all. Is this what you have been told? Is this why the warriors of Asgard now join the Alfari forces?"

"We were told you wished to reopen an ancient trade route within Alfheim's borders."

Velos rubbed his chin, "Damn him, this is the play he has made."

"Who?"

"Freyr!" Velos spat, "What did Gungrail tell you? Did he tell you the truth?"

Loki raised an eyebrow, "Show me your human form."

"What did Gungrail say?"

"He told me that you have mated with an Alfari woman and that she is now being kept inside Freyr's castle awaiting a meeting of the High Court."

Velos's countenance broke then, "So Marwen is not in your encampment? Is she safe?"

"I tell you, I do not know her. I did not know of her until tonight. I only know what Gungrail had told me. Where he heard what he was told, I do not know."

Velos nodded and his face began to lighten, turning paler, his form reducing in height, his eyes fading to a light blue, hair turning a light brown until before him stood a young man a head shorter than himself. His face was open, honest but worried. He pulled his jerkin, which had become too big for him, over his head, leaving his long undergarment to drape over him like a robe.

"It was in this form that I met Marwen and fell in love with her. I was indeed using an ancient route to travel through Alfheim. It was this route that crossed lands belonging to Marwen's family."

Velos smiled at the memory, "She was gathering honey from a tree, smoking out the bees with a smudge fire. I only intended to watch but she was getting stung so naturally I came to her rescue in my Jotunn form, drove the bees back and scared her nearly to death and you probably ken nothing of this."

Loki took another sip of the wine, his eyes on Velos, "I am married to an Alfari woman."

At the revelation, Velos shook his head, "How came this to be? The Alfari have strict laws governing their women." He waved about the tent, "As you see by our situation."

Loki held up his hand, "It is a story best left for telling when time is not of the essence, suffice it to say mine was a long journey. Tell me, is Marwen with child?"

Velos nodded, "But they do not know, she does not show yet. We are here this night because we were found out by Marwen's father. She told her family she was being courted by a nobleman. By all accounts she was telling the truth. My father is the ruler of Muspelheim. They believed, though, by nobleman, she meant Alfari born. When they inquired about the kingdom but could find no family who laid claim to me, they confronted us. I was driven from their home and Marwen was spirited away."

Before Loki could respond, however, a voice from without roared, "Velos!"

Velos leaped as if he'd been prodded with a sharp stick, "My father..."

"Bring the visitor out here!"

Loki turned to look at the door behind him, half expecting it to be flung open, when he returned his gaze to Velos, before him stood the young man in his Jotunn form again. "Please follow me."

Surtr stood outside the door of the shelter, a fist on his hip, the other atop an immense sword. His leather armor gleamed with silver brads and short spikes , his pauldrons, vambraces and greaves solid silver in an ornate design and his black hair was drawn up into a leather wrapped topknot.

"Why have you come here?"

Loki bowed, "I have come to determine why the warriors of Asgard have been summoned to the side of the Alfari."

Surtr's gaze slid to his son, "And have you found the answer you sought after?"

"It would seem so."to his right, he could see Velos fidgeting.

"It has been many seasons since I laid eyes on you, son of..." Surtr paused, "Laufey."

Loki took a deep breath, fighting the urge to rebuke him sharply, "I am a son of Odin for all intents and purposes. My Jotunn blood lies buried deep within."

"You should embrace it!" Surtr threw a hand wide.

Loki studied his hands, considering for a minute. What would it hurt to show them? He felt his skin change, begin to harden, grow cool then colder, the lines etched beneath raise along his face, arms, legs, chest. He lifted his hands once again, hating the cerulean hue, the ebony nails. Then he heard Surtr laugh.

"Does this not feel better?" Surtr squatted down before him, "Freer?"

Loki let the warmth, the softness return to his skin, "It is not who I am."

Surtr stood up again, "Son of Odin, do you come of your own accord or do you speak for the entire encampment?"

"I came of my own accord."

"Gungrail still lives, father." Velos piped up.

"He does?"

Loki felt many eyes upon him, "A prisoner of war. It was him told me of this dilemma."

"A sad tale is it not? Son of Odin...how is the mighty Allfather? Did he accompany you on this campaign?"

He thought of Odin, lying in his massive bed, waving the servants about, grumbling, muttering to himself, "He remains in the palace at Asgard. King Thor commands the troops."

"A pity, Freyr might have listened to reason had Odin been here."

Loki bristled at the slight, "The Allfather would have listened to Freyr's lies for that is what he seems to be telling us. We were unaware that this was anything more than a border dispute."

"What?!" Surtr roared raising his sword, "That unconscionable deceiver. Tolen!"

The Jotunn who had accompanied him to the shelter stepped forward, "Sire?"

Surtr turned to him, "Sound the call to arms!"

"Wait!" Loki cried, "Let me return to the encampment and speak with my brother and with Freyr. Surely he can be made to see reason. Perhaps an agreement can be made."

Surtr slammed the tip of his sword hard into the ground, "An agreement of what sort? I shall agree only to one point. They must allow Marwen to marry my son. The life of a child hangs in the balance."

"Father!" Velos cried, "How did..."

"Boy, do you not think I have eyes and ears? Whispers are still able to be heard, gestures are still able to be seen."

Surtr bent low to look into Loki's eyes, "I will stay my warriors until the sun has risen upon the following day and that is more than I am willing to give. However, as you are a brother in kind and have come in peace seeking truth, I will honor your request." Surtr held out his hand to Loki. In his palm lie Loki's dagger. He took it and slid it into its scabbard.

"Now go, see if you might sway the heart or speak to the conscience of a foolish King, but be forewarned. If a compromise is not met, if Freyr continues on the path he has chosen, we will overtake his forces, storm the castle and retrieve Marwen no matter the cost." Surtr stood up, "Fare you well brother."

Loki bowed, "Fare you well, your Highness."

"Sire! The tents have been searched." The guard bowed low.

Thor gripped the handle of the torch hard enough to hurt, "Has the perimeter been covered?"

"Yes, Sire."

Thor started towards the clearing where the horses were tied, thinking perhaps Loki had felt restless and needed to ride. It happened before a battle, the rush of adrenaline that came with the knowledge that the next sunset could well be one's last.

He had risen with the need to relieve himself. When he realized his brother was not in his cot, he surmised he'd had the same urge but when he could not find Loki in the woods behind their tent, he became concerned. Concern had quickly shifted to panic as he continued to search the encampment. Now, as he hurried towards the horses, he prayed he would find Lightning missing. In the very least, it would give him a starting point and a better one than the belief his brother had disappeared into thin air.

As he neared the horses, he heard a shout behind him, "Sire! Someone approaches from the Jotunn encampment!"

Thor whirled about and started off on a trot back the way he had come until another shout broke him into a run, "Sire, it looks to be Prince Loki!"

When Loki walked between the bonfires and began his descent into the valley below, he noted torches moving back and forth in the Alfari encampment and knew they were for him. Thor must have awakened and found him missing. As he started to trudge up the slope towards the camp, he heard shouts though he couldn't make out words. He had come close enough to make out the faces of the guardsmen who stood at the edge of the camp watching him with their bows in hand when Thor came bursting through the line with a roar, "LOKI!"

He kept walking, expecting Thor to slow as he came nearer but Thor kept coming, a berzerker holding a flaming torch, cloak streaming behind him. Steps from him, Thor tossed the torch to the ground and grabbed him by both shoulders hard enough to clack his teeth together sending him back a few steps as he fought to keep his balance.

"What is the meaning of this?! Why were you at the Jotunn's camp?"

Thor's anger had caught Loki off guard. Only when Thor shook him again did it loosen his tongue.

"I spoke with the Jotunn the Alfari are holding prisoner and I was told something I..."

Thor cut him short, "Do you not realize how this looks, brother? You coming from the Jotunn camp?"

The question shocked him and he wrenched free of Thor's grasp with a hard shove, "Speak plainly, Thor! Do you mean to brand me a traitor by association or blood?!"

Thor's hand shot out and grabbed Loki's arm again, drawing him further down the slope the way he'd come while Loki spoke further, "Do you doubt my loyalty?"

Thor pulled him close, his breath tickling Loki's ear, "If I had, you would not be here now with me. You would not be my adviser, however others may not have such confidence that know your heritage."

Loki's legs felt ready to fold beneath him, "I had good reason to visit the Jotunn camp." Thor shook him again, this time Loki dropped to one knee, chest heaving, "Brother, please!"

At his plea, Thor's grip softened as he lifted him back to his feet, "Speak, and quickly before others reach us."

"Freyr has misled us."

"How know you this? Has the prisoner filled your head with his own lies?"

Thor heard footsteps behind him and leaned to Loki, "We will go to Freyr and speak to him. I pray to the Allfather that what you have been told is true lest we offend the Alfari. I do not wish a war based on idle gossip."

"Nor do I."

As the guards reached them, they turned and started up the hill, "Inform King Freyr we wish an audience with him!" Thor called to the guards standing on the ridge, "Now!"

They listened to the voice of King Freyr as they waited outside of his tent. Loki had taken to pacing, feeling Thor's eyes upon him.

"Brother," He whispered, "Calm yourself. We cannot rush in headlong ready for an argument."

Loki's heart was ready to pound from his chest. He well knew what could go wrong were he to falsely accuse Freyr. Thor had been right, if he had instead been misled, Asgard could be plunged into a war with Alfheim but Velos's plight had struck so surely at his heart he could do naught, save what he was now going to do. All he had been able to see when Velos was talking of Marwen's imprisonment, was Eidra. His Eidra, sitting defiant before the High Court in Freyr's castle, standing between the stone pillars, terrified, her body lying on the scaffold. The parallels were such that to stand by and let fate run its course would have been an affront to everything he and Eidra had been through. If he didn't at least make an effort to right this wrong, perhaps atone for his failure to save Eidra, he could never look her in the eyes again.

The tent flap rose and an Alfari sentry stepped aside, "Enter."

Freyr was sitting at a writing desk in his long robes, a dark blue velvet robe over his shoulders. He looked tired though judging by the parchment on the desk before him, he had already been awake when they arrived at the tent. He set his quill into his inkwell and stood as they walked into the tent.

"The guards inform me you wish an audience with me." His gaze moved to Thor then to Loki as he clasped his hands before him. "At dawn we are to meet Surtr and his forces so tell me what is so urgent you leave off preparing for battle?"

"Your Highness," Thor began but Loki stepped forward.

"Who is Marwen?"

"Loki!" Thor cried, but Loki held up his hand,

The tent flap opened again and Eldan slipped inside, bowing, "Your Highness."

Freyr gave him a grim smile but his eyes never left Loki.

"The name means nothing to me."

Loki felt as if he had been punched in the stomach by Thor's almighty hammer. He was ready to bow his way out of Freyr's tent until he caught Freyr's gaze as it flickered to Eldan and he stepped forward with a snarl, ignoring the Alfari guard who mirrored his movement, his sword at the ready to defend his King, "You lie!"

Thor was at Loki's side at once, "Brother!"

Freyr had reached at his side for his sword, finding none, he advanced until Loki could smell the spiced wine upon his breath, "How dare you insult me in such a way! How dare you accuse me of such a lowly..."

"I have spoken with the prisoner Gungrail.."

"You had no right!"

"He told me of the true reason we stand on the brink of battle this day.."

Freyr laughed, "An enemy, you take the word of an enemy...Thor, you have made a poor choice in allowing your brother to advise you.."

Loki felt Thor's hand fist at his back, "Do not cast such dispersions against my brother, for it is no servant you speak of but a prince of the realm!"

"And tell me, Prince Loki," Freyr sneered, "What great secret is it you have been told vexes you so?"

"I was told you hold an Alfari woman, Marwen, in your castle awaiting a hearing before the High Court because she loves a young Jotunn named Velos."

He heard Eldan clear his throat, watched Freyr frown, "Then you have been led astray."

"I have spoken to Velos!"

"How?!" Freyr had taken Loki by the shoulders, ripping him from Thor's side as Loki's mind worked frantically.

"What do you mean, your Highness?"

"How have you spoken to Velos?!" Freyr spat at him.

Loki narrowed his gaze, watching Freyr's exterior demeanor crack and fold, "I went in peace to the Jotunn encampment."

Freyr shoved him away, Thor catching him with a shout, "You dare to treat the person of a royal in such a manner!"

"It is because he knows I speak the truth." Loki regained his footing as Freyr swung about, pointing to the guards.

"Out! Out!"

The two Alfari sentries hesitated, reluctant to leave their King unprotected but Freyr shouted at them, "Out, damn you!"

The sentries quickly slid through the tent flap as Freyr banged his fists on the writing desk nearly upsetting the inkwell, sending the quill fluttering to the woven rug at his feet.

"You do not know what lies at stake." Freyr muttered, staring down at the parchment on the desk.

"Do I not?" Loki had held tight to his emotions until now, "Have you forgotten so easily the agony I endured at the mercy of your High Court?"

He was shouting now, if such an uproar didn't bring the guards running, then they were at the other side of the encampment, "I have not forgotten. I am reminded of it each day I wake up beside my wife!"

"Loki!" He heard Eldan cry.

Freyr looked to Eldan, "Eidra?"

Eldan stared at the ground but his head bobbed in assent.

"How? What dark magic did you use to return her from the dead?"

"It took little magic for she was never beyond saving. She lay between life and death because her life was wrongly taken from her."

"Impossible! Our laws, our ways have been ordained by nature! That is what we are fighting for! To keep our race pure, to continue the path nature has shown us. Marwen must not be allowed to give birth to a child of mixed race!"

Loki stepped backwards, "I have three children by Eidra! She carries another even as we speak. They are themselves royals, would you not afford them the same courtesy the same honor and respect as the King of Asgard because they be of mixed race?" He threw his hand back to Thor as Freyr's countenance darkened further.

"Every race in the nine realms must branch out lest they suffer the weakness of inbreeding, the frailties of health. Such an influx of fresh blood would strengthen the Alfari people, add complexity, diversity, enhance them."

"Bah!" Freyr looked at the side of the tent as if able to see through to the Jotunn encampment, "A Jotunn mating with an Alfari..."

"Choose your words carefully." Thor growled.

"I cannot allow this to happen."

"So you would condemn your warriors to death to uphold an outdated, ancient belief whose time has passed? You would ignore the pleas of two young lovers, allow another life to be extinguished?"

Freyr sat down heavily on his chair, head in his hands on the writing desk, "Even were I to allow them to marry, to bear children, such a decision would have to pass before the High Court and where would they live. She would be cast out of Alfheim."

"Surtr seemed to have no compunction about granting her asylum, just as Asgard has done for Eidra. Your Highness, It is Alfheim and your High Court who refuse to bend. Surtr has promised he will find Marwen and free her if it take every last Jotunn to do so."

Freyr brushed his hair back from his face, the fight drained from him, "It is already too late, we face Surtr on the field of battle at dawn. There is no time to reach the castle and call together the High Court before the sun rises."

Loki felt tremors race through his body as he let out a deep breath, "There is yet time. Surtr has allowed until sunrise one day hence. If we ride now, there may yet be time."

Freyr stood again, "And if the High Court rules in favor of the law?"

"Then you will lose." Thor rumbled, "You will be vastly outnumbered and overrun. The warriors of Asgard will not stand beside you in battle."

Loki turned to Thor but Thor simply stared at Freyr whose face held the look of utter defeat, "To our horses then. I will order our guards to hold their position. Eldan?"

"Yes, Sire."

"You will accompany me, fetch your horse."

Eldan bowed, "Yes, Sire."

"And let us pray for mercy even as we prepare for death."


	61. Chapter 61

"Out of the question!" The speaker for the High Court was now on his feet. Loki's head had begun to throb, he was hungry, exhausted, on edge and it was starting to impair his ability to think straight.

Thor had also risen from his chair, "On what grounds? Do you wish to throw Alfheim into war? Condemn innocent warriors to die? You have witnessed firsthand the ferocity of the Jotunn. Do not fool yourself into thinking nothing will be lost!"

"We uphold the sacred laws and as such are willing to sacrifice our lives in their defense."

"What do you hope to gain in this?" Loki cried, the effort closing his eyes in pain.

"The preservation of our race. The purity of our offspring!" The speaker's face was red with rage.

Loki looked to Eldan who was standing in the shadows. He seemed to have aged twenty years since last they'd met. Every time the speaker would argue his point, Eldan would look to Loki to gauge his reaction.

"Surtr has already granted the girl asylum and it is my belief she would go willingly. What of banishment?"

The speaker glanced up and down the table at the rest of the High Court, some of whom were sitting forward intently, others yawning, gazing about the hall.

"It could be considered,"

Loki waited.

"If she were to consent to give up the child after it was born and agree to give up her ability to bear children in the future."

"What?!" Loki and Thor were in unison, even Eldan seemed shaken. Freyr, sitting on the throne behind the High Court, his elbows on the arms, hands crossed over his lap, gave no indication of his reaction.

"And what would become of the child were she to consent to such a monstrous agreement?"

For a moment, the speaker faltered, cleared his throat, "The child would be...sacrificed."

A murmur rose from the crowd that had gathered to watch the proceedings. Loki, even in his ensuing shock was glad to see some of the Court members themselves turning to speak to one another.

"You would commit infanticide?" Thor slammed his fist on the table before him.

"To preserve the..."

"Speak not to me of race again!"

A voice from the shadows came, tremulous, it was Eldan, "You, yourself should appreciate the seriousness of what is transpiring here for was it not you who brought to justice my daughter in an effort to prevent the birth of a bastard in your own kingdom?"

But for Loki's grip on his arm, Thor would have been over the table and across the room at Eldan's throat.

"And you see the terrible price I paid to learn such a harsh lesson? Would you wish your kingdom to suffer the same fate? You FOOLISH!.."

A loud creaking sound turned all heads towards the high arched doors leading into the hall where two guards were walking forward. They stopped before the semicircle of tables and bowed to the speaker, then to Freyr who sat on the throne beyond, "Your Majesty, Speaker of the High Court, there has arrived a visitor who requests an audience with the High Court."

Loki stood up as Thor whispered to him, "Can it be?"

The speaker peered into the shadows of the outer corridor behind them, "Does his presence have relevance to the proceedings?"

The visitor stepped into the light of the hall, "Without me, there would be no need for them."

Velos strode into the center of the room, his demeanor belied his confidence. As he passed the table where Loki and Thor now stood, he smiled weakly.

"Visitor, state your name and your reason for interrupting these proceedings." The speaker glared at him.

"My name is Velos of Muspelheim, son of Surtr, ruler of the realm. I have come to barter for the freedom of the Alfari woman, Marwen Aletta."

"Barter?" The speaker sneered leaning forward over the podium he was standing at in the middle of the row of tables, "Are we talking of a person or a cow?"

Chuckles arose from the crowd but Velos stepped closer to the podium, "Trade then, call it what you will. I wish to take Marwen's place."

The speaker looked up and down the row of tables, "Take her place? I do not believe you ken the seriousness of.."

"I am well aware of the sacred laws of Alfheim and I ken well what I am asking."

Loki watched the speaker turn to Freyr who merely scanned the room.

"You cannot have come here with the sole purpose of taking her place then, if you know the laws." The speaker seemed ready to dismiss him.

"I know the laws and I am asking you to bend them. I will give my life in her stead if you let her go to Muspelheim."

One of the members of the High Court, a giant of a man dressed in green fur trimmed velvet, sat forward, "It is within our power to grant the exchange. It is the right of a woman to name her defiler in her stead...were the situation as simple as that, there is more involved however."

"There is the matter of her unborn child." The speaker added and Loki saw the strength drain from Velos's body as he stumbled forward and the sentries caught him but he recovered quickly. He looked up at the speaker with grim determination.

"Then I speak for both mother and child. My life for theirs."

The speaker leaned farther over the podium, "If you know as much about our laws as you claim to, then you realize what you are asking is impossible."

"NO!" Velos cried, "My life for theirs. I am the father. I have admitted my guilt. What more must you have from her?"

"The child is an abomination. A product of two races and therefore must be destroyed.."

"NO! I beg of you! Let her free, banish her if you must! She will be welcome in Muspelheim!"

"It would be far more merciful to end her life here than to condemn her to such a life."

A snarl crossed Velos's face and Loki fair shared his rage, "Were my father here to listen to you speak so against the Jotunn.."

"But he is not and were he here, I would stand by my words." A grunt from behind him made the speaker turn to see a scowl upon Freyr's face. He turned back, bowing, "My apologies to the son of Surtr."

Velos, however, heard none of it, "Let me take her place, I implore you. It will be best for all here in Alfheim."

"Do not dare to tell us what is best for our realm.."

Velos looked up and down the tables, "Then I shall tell you what will be worse. If my request is denied, if Marwen and her child are condemned, my father shall lead his warriors across the border of Alfheim. We will lay waste to each village along our path, striking terror across the land. In each place we will leave behind the tale of injustice. Every citizen will know of your cruelty, your refusal to a plea of mercy and when we reach the castle, we shall tear down every last stone, every last wooden plank to find Marwen and release her. This we will do the the last Jotunn."

"And you believe we will simply stand by and let you? Do you not see that we have doubled our forces? Asgard stands at the ready to assist us..."

"Asgard formally withdraws from this conflict." Thor called out, "It is not in our agreement that we be involved in internal affairs."

Velos looked toward Loki and he could see the relief on Velos's face.

"Do you hear? They will not take part in such a barbaric practice."

The speaker held a fist in the air, "And we will not allow idle threats to wipe away a millenia of justice!"

"The speaker will approach the throne." Freyr bellowed.

The speaker turned so swiftly, papers from the ensuing breeze fluttered to the floor about him, "Your Highness"

The speaker walked up the few steps to the throne and bent down speaking with the King, all eyes upon them. There were gestures, shaking of heads, raised voices and finally the speaker stood up, straightening his court robes. He returned to the dais and cleared his throat.

"The king has granted your request."

A din arose from about the room and Loki smiled at Thor though he didn't return it, but tilted his head back to the center of the hall where the sun shone in through the tall leaded windows as if watching, waiting.

"But there will be provisos that must be followed. The woman, Marwen, will be forever banished from Alfheim as will the child she carries and their progeny. If ere they try to return and are found, they will be put to death. Do you agree to this?"

"For the sake of Marwen and my child, I do so agree. Draw up the decree and send it with her." Velos noted the slant of the sun. "Time is short."

The speaker took his quill and scratched something onto the parchment before him, "Very well, Velos of Muspelheim, you have confessed to the unlawful act of mating with an Alfari penalty for such an act is death. Because you are of noble birth, you have the right to choose how you shall die."

"Quickly." Velos's voice shook though the room erupted in laughter.

"Indeed. I have found beheading to be the swiftest way, though it be the messiest. We will proceed to the courtyard."

"Wait!" Velos cried, "Might I see Marwen first? I only wish to see her once more."

The speaker turned to the King who nodded, "As you wish, she shall be brought from her holding cell."

"And I will see her off for I can only go willingly if I see her headed for Muspelheim."

"We will accompany her to Muspelheim," Loki spoke up, causing Thor to sit forward in his chair and stare at him.

"Truly?"

"Yes truly,"

Thor sat back, mumbled, "As you say, brother." Then louder, "I concur."

Velos clasped his hands together and bowed to them.

"Then these proceedings are adjourned." The speaker stepped back from the podium, turned and bowed to the king.

People started filing out of the hall into the corridor beyond as Loki made his way to Velos, finally reaching him before he was led from the hall. The sentries barred Velos from him but he shoved them aside and took Velos's shoulder, "You are mad."

"Am I? Could I have kept my sanity knowing I could have saved her had I been brave enough, smart enough?"

Loki shook his head, "I once failed where you will succeed. I envy you your opportunity though I wish the outcome were to be different."

They were being shuffled along by the crowd and the sentries towards the large double doors leading to one of the inner courtyards of the castle. "As do I, my brother. I must confess my bravado is overshadowed by my fear. The Jotunn have a very different view of the afterlife than do the Asgardians. I wonder whose view is right?" The doors creaked open and let in the afternoon sunlight, "I suppose I shall soon find out."

Loki looked to see tears standing in Velos's eyes, "If honor and bravery be rewarded in your culture then you will have a glorious afterlife, I've no doubt."

"Velos!" A voice echoed in the halls behind him and Loki turned to see a beautiful young woman with dark brown eyes and hair the color of honey plaited down her back, dressed in a red gown. She was rushing towards him, her guards sprinting to keep up. Velos opened his arms and she fit into them. "Velos why are you here? Where are they taking you? They said I am to be released, what is happening?"

Velos laughed, "Marwen, catch your breath. You must stay calm for the.."

"Hush, Velos." Marwen's eyes were wide.

"They already know, my honeybee."

One of the sentries reached in to separate them but Thor's hand shot out, catching him hard by the wrist as he growled, "You shall have time enough for your chore, leave them be."

Velos glanced at Loki then at Thor, "I present to you Thor, King of Asgard and his brother, Prince Loki." He guided her to stand in front of Loki, "They are going to see you safely to my father's land where you must stay and raise our child."

The speaker passed them, motioning to one of the sentries who took Velos's arm, "Come."

Marwen reached out a hand to Velos, "But where are you going?"

She turned to Loki, "Where are they taking him?"

When she whirled about again, Velos was moving with the sentries out through the doorway. "Velos!"

"I love you, Wen. Forgive me." Velos called over his shoulder as realization dawned upon Marwen and she leaped forward, "NOOOO!"

Loki hesitated to restrain her. He could see the King standing outside in the courtyard, ill at ease as the scene played out before him but the sentries pushed her back until Thor took her by the shoulders. "Stop it, please! Do not let them do this!" She tried to turn to see Thor's face, then looked to Loki, "Please do not let them kill him. I will die without him! I will die!"

As they moved out into the courtyard, Velos saw Loki and Thor following him, "Take her away!" he yelled as they moved him towards a large sloped stone in one corner of the courtyard.

Marwen tried to free herself, staring about the crowd until she cried, "Mother, FATHER! Help him, I beg you please!"

Loki followed her gaze to see the portly man in the fur trimmed velvet robe a short distance away. He had his arm about the shoulders of a middle-aged beautiful but severe looking woman. Neither of them so much as pointed a finger in her direction though when she roared, "MAMA!" the woman's eyes slid shut.

"Do not let her stay!" Velos was yelling across the courtyard as a tall Alfari warrior with long white-blond hair stepped forward and withdrew his sword from his scabbard, "Look away, Wen!"

But Marwen had fallen to screaming the same words over and over, "NO, please, NOO!"

Loki looked to Freyr who had gone white, slack jawed with the emotion of the whole tableau, then to Thor who was doing his best not to let Marwen break free of his hold. Loki's head buzzed as the scene shimmered before his eyes until he could only see Eidra standing there. He closed his eyes, weak with the desire right then and there to be home with his head in her lap as they sat before the fire.

The speaker had moved before the great stone Velos now knelt before, "You have confessed to the taking of an Alfari woman. You have mated against the sacred laws of Alfheim. You have done the honorable thing and have given your life in exchange for the lives of her and her unborn child. May your journey be swift."

The speaker nodded to the warrior who put his hand at the back of Velos's head and pushed it to the stone. From where he stood, Loki could see Velos trembling, his lips moving silently until the warrior's hand left his head, "I love you, Marwen!" He shouted against the rough rock.

Loki watched the warrior raise his sword, heard the gross sobbing of Marwen as she collapsed in Thor's arm and his breath caught in his throat as a shout rang out across the courtyard, "HOLD!"

The warrior looked out over the crowd, then lowered his sword as Freyr stepped forward, "I invoke divine right!"

A din rose, a crescendo until Freyr cried out, "SILENCE!" and the courtyard drew down to a murmur.

"Arise, Velos of Muspelheim and hear me now."

Velos knelt back, leaned forward with his forehead against the stone then stood slowly, his hand out to steady himself.

"I henceforth pardon you for the wrongs against Marwen Alette, however, as goes her banishment, so goes your own. You and your progeny are forbidden to enter the kingdom of Alfheim upon pain of death. Do you ken?"

Velos could only nod at first, then, "I ken, I do ken upon my father's name."

The speaker was struck dumb, his hand to his mouth. Loki noted Marwen's father holding her mother tightly to him.

Freyr motioned Loki and Thor to him. Thor let Marwen loose, watching her nearly vault over the stone to reach Velos.

"This decision may be my undoing if the people find me in poor judgment, then it will be on your heads. Who knows who would rule my kingdom next."

Loki scanned the crowd, while there were a few scowls here and there, more than a few women and men were smiling behind their hands at the young couple as they cried together behind the stone.

"I think you will find your path a bit easier."

"And you," Freyr gestured to him, "Do you find your conscience eased?"

Loki stared at him in surprise, "I find my guilt has eased though my conscience will always be a prickle at the back of my mind. I have in some small measure atoned for failing Eidra."

Freyr nodded, "Take them and go. It is growing later and I do not wish to wake up to find a Jotunn staring in my bedchamber window at me."

Tolen and Gilad watched the torches bob up and down as they advanced up the slope to the encampment, led by Velos, towering over them all. "Go tell Surtr his son has returned." Gilad said.

"Why must I do it?" Tolen grumbled as he stomped away into the camp.

As they reached the line of bonfires which seemed far larger than they had the night before, Surtr burst through the line and grabbed Velos, nearly toppling him, "Father, our friends, do you wish me to take them out in one fell swoop?"

Surtr patted Velos on the back and turned to Marwen, after a moment finding Velos standing beside her, his arm around her waist. "We have been banished to Muspelheim, your Majesty. May we request asylum?" Marwen asked with a low curtsey.

"You may have it and welcome. Let us come get warm and talk." Surtr waved to Loki and Thor, "Come, friends, for that is what you will be now and forever. We will drink a return of my son and his bride to be."

Loki flopped face down onto the cot, willing the room to stop spinning. "A job well done." cried Thor, crashing down onto his own cot across the tent, "What fine wines they have. We must trade more with them."

"Mmmph, stop talking so loudly oaf..."

Thor chuckled, "You behaved admirably, dear brother! I am pleased."

Loki turned to his side, "Pleased enough that I may enjoy a few days at home when we are done with this damnable campaign?"

"Indeed you shall. I myself will be taking a trip to Midgard. Have you anything you would like Brenna to have?"

"I do not know. I shall have to ask Eidra. What is it you are going to Midgard for?"

Thor laughed and Loki smiled into his pillow, "Miss Foster shall be hearing from you, shall she?"

"Indeed she shall. Tomorrow we will pull up camp and set out for home."

Loki nodded, "Thank Odin."


	62. Chapter 62

Despite their best efforts, they didn't leave Alfheim behind until the sun was at its zenith. They continued on for the remainder of the day and on late into the evening before they stopped to have a supper of cold rations. Loki had to force himself to hunker down against a tree beside his brother for a few hours rest before continuing on to Asgard as the sun lightened the horizon again. When at last the gates of the palace swung open for them and they stood again in the south courtyard, it was nigh well dark.

"Start for home in the morning." Thor implored him, "It is late."

Loki shook his head, "I will not stay another night away from Eidra."

Thor watched the wagons glide past them for a moment and Loki, perched atop Lightning, nudged him with his foot, "Come morning will you not be on your way to see Jane?"

Thor frowned, "There is much to do before I am freed of my duties," He gazed up at Loki, "I envy you, brother, so very much for I well know what awaits me in my own bedchamber."

Loki looked to the open gate, then to Thor, "It will not be always like this. Do you recall our conversation?"

As they had ridden home to Asgard, Thor had spoken of bringing Sif before the High Council to answer a charge of adultery.

"And how are you to prove it?"

When Thor had reminded him of the proof from Stark, Loki had wondered aloud if the Council would accept such evidence.

"What reason have they not to do so?"

"Simply because the evidence comes from another realm."  
Thor had laughed, "They look upon Midgard with a bit more magnanimity than do you. I will do what I must to prove I am within my rights. I will ask them to dissolve our union."

"What will become of Sif if by chance they agree to do so?"

"She will be cast out of the palace though for her service to Asgard, I will grant her a house, servants, a stipend. She has grievously wronged me, but 'twas no ones fault our marriage was arranged so inauspiciously."

"You are too gracious, my brother."

"I must set a proper example, for I am the King."

Loki had watched the spires of Asgard rise into view, "An' your will be done."

"Rest assured it shall be."

These were the thoughts which plagued him on his quiet ride home, however, the nearer he drew to the manor house, the further Thor and Sif faded, Eidra foremost in his mind. When he at last dismounted and led Lightning to the stables, the house lay dark and silent.

The front door creaked open and he winced at the sound, closing it as slowly as he could, then taking the steps two by two, he climbed the staircase. By the time he closed the bedchamber door behind him, he was giddy with desire. He quickly divested himself of his tunic and breeches, setting his boots gently on the floor beside the door and slid beneath the sheets beside Eidra. He curled himself around her, his hand already reaching around to her mouth with a smile as she screamed into his palm.

"Eidra," He whispered into her ear as he let loose his hand and she sat up, turning to him.

"Loki!" She was upon him at once, crushing the breath from his lungs as he returned the embrace.

"I have missed you so, my love." she murmured, "I have worried endlessly."

He put his hand to the swell of her belly, "Can it be that you have grown in the time I have been absent?"

He kissed her, felt the smile upon her lips, "The midwife from Rialo, Gretta, paid a visit upon Ren's behest while you were away. She is of a mind that I am indeed carrying more than one child."

He pulled her close to him as she lay her head upon his chest, "Twice blessed."

"Twice as busy." She sighed, "Must you return to the palace in the morning or might we have some time together?"

Loki bent his head, breathing in the scent of her hair, "We might have sufficient time together as the King has allowed it so. Let us take a few days in fact. The roads are beginning to dry out. I will put the wheels back onto the wagon then we shall gather the children, give the house servants a few days rest and travel to Rialo to see Sally and Ren before you are too far along to do so safely."

He felt her head move, knew she was looking up at him in the darkness, "Truly? We shall have you to ourselves? For how long?"

"I would say seven days at the most, though you might stay on a bit longer if you wish. I am sure Sally would welcome an extended stay."

She tightened her embrace, "We shall see." She raised her head from his chest, "You smell of sweat, and leather...in fact you smell like Lightning."

Loki made to sit up, "Forgive me, I was far too eager to reach you this night. Shall I run a bath?"

"You shall stay right where you are for what is the use of getting cleaned when you will only work up a sweat again." she scratched her nails gently along his side, sending a shiver along his skin that served to rouse him as they spoke of their plans and let desire carry them away, reuniting with the joy the end of a long absence engenders...

….a world away, the pieces of a puzzle were finally falling into place. David stood at the beginning of the corridor, listening to the low hum that now seemed to emanate from the stainless steel walls. He'd had to discipline himself as of late, continuing his work as Director under the ever watchful eye of Egan until five p.m. Only then would he allow himself to proceed with his plans, making phone calls, arranging meetings. More often than not, he would find himself late at night in Jesse's old room, lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling. On one such evening, he had fallen asleep there, waking up half an hour before shift change. He'd used the back staircases to reach the fourth floor, startling Julia as he burst through the access door into his waiting room disheveled and panting.

Now, as he brushed his fingertips along the surface of one panel, he felt a tingle, like an electrical charge and he knew it was time for the final phase. From here on out there would be no going back. He would make it work, he had to.

He turned to Leroy who stood behind him, arms crossed. "I've got some calls to make. Be ready to receive a new inmate within the next couple of days."

"Yes sir." Leroy moved out of the way, following David out of the corridor. When his employer's trolley had jumped the tracks after Jesse's death, for want of a better metaphor, he'd almost considered resigning his position the day David had called him into his office on the fourth floor. Leroy had sat down on the leather couch as David reclined in his chair behind his desk explaining to him his plans for what amounted basically to kidnapping a young girl and making her do what he wanted in the name of science and the betterment of those afflicted with mental disorders. He'd come close to standing up, removing his badge and tipping his hat. David had obviously read his body language because he stood up, "Let me guess, you're thinking right now that they don't pay you enough for this shit, right?"

Leroy, caught off guard, had nodded and David had laughed, "All that is about to change." He'd offered him a salary jump of twenty thousand a year. Sad to say, he'd buckled, though in the admission, his tongue had also been loosened and he'd started to ask questions.

"Kidnapping is a capital offense. I don't see how you expect to get away with it."

David's smile had faltered a bit but he'd recovered nicely, "I'm not going to steal into her bedroom and chloroform her. Let's just say I'm going to make her come to me willingly."

When Leroy had asked how, David had waggled his finger at him as if he were a naughty child, "The less you know, the better off you'll be."

He had however, given him some minor details. When David had mentioned the involvement of the mutant community, Leroy had requested extra guards and the relocation of his brother, Leon. Leroy had always known he could be bought for the right price but Leon, he was too honest and Leroy knew it. David had agreed to assign him to one of the third floor wards where the permanents were kept, the catatonics. An easy assignment to keep him out of harms way. If something ever happened to Leon, he would never be able to face their mother again. For now, though, he had nothing more to do than sit back and wait for the next surprise.

Anna glanced at the grandfather clock for the thousandth time, paused, then returned to the tune she'd been humming all day, the title tune to "Dad's Army". She'd awakened with it, she'd likely go to bed with it. Hopefully it would abate the next day or until she caught it on the telly again. It was the only sure way to shove it out of her head.

Martin had assured her he'd be home by seven that evening and it was now six forty-five. She wiped the last figurine, a little china angel with a hymnal in her hands, mouth open singing praises to the heavens, and put it in the lighted glass cabinet, closing the door and latching it. The sound of the doorbell put a smile on her face, "Coming!" She called, smoothing her blouse as she trotted through the dining room to the foyer.

Martin had said he would be coming home with some purchases, more antique books for the library. He had asked her to accompany him but she had begged off. Those auction houses were always full of old dust and a stuffy nose was the last thing she wanted for a night out. She'd told him to keep an eye out for old "Nancy Drew Hardy Boys" mysteries and promised to hold down the fort until he returned.

She threw open the door expecting to see Martin standing there holding boxes before him and was taken aback by the stranger standing just beyond the light of the large pendant lamp hanging above the front steps. "May I help you?" Anna shaded her eyes with her hand.

The voice from the darkness was silky smooth with a slight accent, Russian, perhaps? "This is the Rutledge residence?"

"It is the house of Professor Martin Rutledge."

"Ah I have meeting with him. Is he in?" The visitor emerged into the light and Anna had to bite her tongue to keep from screaming out loud as the visitor began to pull a glove off one hand. Over the years she'd worked for Martin, she'd met her share of the "Oddities" as she'd termed them but for the most part, their differences weren't obvious. Rarely did they show on the outside but there were always exceptions. Standing before her was just such a one.

The man, if he was to be called anything, had red skin. Not reddish, nor rosy blush. Pure red. He possessed a shock of midnight black hair and a goatee. When he smiled at her, his teeth seemed to glow against the darkness of his skin. As he extended his hand to her to shake, she saw that his hand too was red and she shivered as she took it, staring at the manicured nails.

"Come in," She let go quickly and stepped back to let him in, closing the door behind him, "Professor Rutledge is out but he is expected by seven. You're welcome to wait for him in the sitting room, Mister..."

The visitor smiled at her again, "Azazel, please." In the full light of the house, he was even more intimidating, towering over her by a full foot and she found herself continually looking over her shoulder at him as he followed her into the sitting room.

"We don't usually use this room unless we've company so it might be a bit cold. Would you like me to build a fire?"

"No need." He purred, then chuckled and she realized the pupils of his eyes were almost entirely coal black. "You have questions?"

She felt herself blush, "No sir, please excuse me...I..well..."

"My appearance startles you?"

"A bit yes."

"Some people say I look like Bible's version of Satan, but see.." He picked up his foot to reveal a polished black shoe, "No cloven hoof, so is okay, yes?"

"Are...you a mutant?"

He clapped his hands together, "So many questions. You see anyone else looking like me before?"

Her giggle ended in a snort which crinkled the corners of his eyes with mirth, "Never."

"And now is time for my question. You say Professor is not in?"

"Not at the moment but he should be soon."

The smile drained from his face, "Good."

As his hand clasped her wrist she screamed, when they disappeared into thin air, the only sound in the house was her echo until that too, ceased, leaving dead silence in its wake.

He shifted the boxes in his arms, trying to elbow the doorbell first, then poking out his thumb, only succeeding in smashing it against the doorframe and the box he was trying to keep from slipping out of his grasp. "Bugger me." He muttered, kicking the door with his foot and calling out, "Anna!"

He waited for a minute and when there was no response, he kicked it again, "Ann..na!"

The stoop was wet from the rainstorm earlier that evening and he was reluctant to set the boxes down but in the end he couldn't wait any longer. He set them down as close to the door as he could and turned the handle. He backed into the house, dragging the boxes over the doorstep and sliding them to the side so he could close the door behind him. "Anna! Didn't you hear me at the door?"

He took off his coat, hanging it on the coat rack by the door, then headed into the sitting room still calling to her, "Anna? Where in the world are you?"

Receiving no answer, he started to search the house. By the time he'd come back around to the sitting room, a slight prickle had begun at the back of his neck. "She's probably upstairs asleep." He reassured himself aloud as he trotted up the stairs. A quick glance into his bedroom and he was as close to panic as he'd been in years. He raced to the bathroom, not caring if she was on the loo as he swung the door wide, ducking back out, saying in a tremulous voice, "Maybe the greenhouse?"

As he reached the first floor, his hand reaching for his coat, the phone rang and he jumped as if bitten, a hand to his chest. He pivoted around, nearly tripping over the boxes of books, catching himself on the stairway railing, propelling forward until he reached the phone lying on the couch in the sitting room.

"Hello? Who is this? Anna?" he answered in one great breath, the voice at the other end of the line making him drop down onto the couch.

"It's not Anna."

"David?" Martin took his glasses off, rubbing the bridge of his nose, "Forgive me, I can't find my housekeeper. I can't think of where she's gotten off to at this hour."

"At three in the afternoon? Wait, it's seven there isn't it?"

Martin heard a faint crackle on the line, "Yes only just."

"It's rather hard to misplace a whole person."

"One would think..." He paused, "David, whatever did you call me for?" He leaned forward to look towards the keyboard beside the coat rack. Her keys were still there.

"Why for the same reason."

Martin frowned, "I'm sorry, I'm not following you."

"I've called you about Anna."

All at once Martin felt his stomach turn inside out as he stood up from the couch, taking wobbly steps towards the kitchen, hoping he could make it to the sink in time before he lost his supper. He would hate to make Anna clean up after him.

He turned the faucet on, slamming the phone down into the dishrack and fumbling his glasses from his face as he vomited into the white porcelain basin once, twice until his stomach spasmed and settled. He splashed water onto his face, sucking it into his mouth from his hand and spitting it out. Then he heard a tiny voice, "Martin!"

He grabbed the phone from the dishrack, "Where is she?"

He heard David laugh. It was the most terrifying sound he'd ever heard, "She's fine."

"I didn't ask how she was, I asked where!" He shouted. He was aware he was clenching the handset tightly, as if he could squeeze the information from David, "Is this your idea of a sick joke?"

"It's no joke. I needed a favor from you and I knew you would need incentive."

"A favor..." Martin felt weak in the knees again, "What sort of favor would this be that you'd take an innocent woman from her home..."

"Innocence is no defense against misfortune, trust me, I know. Now all I need for you to do is deliver a letter."

"That's it, could you not send it by post?"

"Not where this one has to go, which is why I need you."

Martin's stomach gurgled again and he gripped the edge of the sink, "Where must this letter be delivered to?"

"I need you to deliver it to Asgard."

"Good Lord," He whispered as he slid down the cabinets below the sink to sit on the linoleum, "I haven't been there in years. I doubt I would know...I can't..."

"Martin, need I remind you of the friends I have. How very easy it would be for Anna to disappear off the face of the earth without a trace?"

"You've gone mad, David, as insane as your patients..."

He expected David to rant and rave but his answer came back calm, smooth, "On the contrary, Martin, I've had my eyes opened to a miracle, one that I want to share with those who need it. You have no idea what I know. If Anna isn't enough of a reason to help me, what do you say to a cure for mental illness?"

"I'd say the first person to receive treatment should be you." He knew he was treading dangerous waters but in his present state all good sense had fled.

"And perhaps I will but nothing can go forward without you."

Martin closed his eyes, resting his forehead in his hand, "It's been so long since I've visited Alfheim let alone Asgard. I've not seen it since I was a boy."

"I'm sure you'll remember once you see it. Everything will come back to you, including Anna if you do your job right."

"I deliver the blasted letter and you return Anna to me?"

"When the whole affair is finished, yes. She'll be well taken care of, don't worry."

Martin hefted himself up to stand, "Alright, agreed."

He heard David chuckle, "Go outside to your mailbox and look inside. There will be a letter there. It's addressed only by name to the person to whom it needs to go."

David opened the door and stepped outside. It had begun to rain again. He ran to the post box at the end of the drive, reaching in, feeling the letter and tucking it under his arm, ran back to the house where he turned the letter over and read the name, "Eidra." in plain script.

The name was familiar, eerily so and he wracked his brains even as he shook his head, "David, is this person Asgardian?"

"So it says."

"So what says?" He mumbled, "If they're Asgardian, they're certainly not going to be able to read the Queen's English."

"Damn." He heard David swear, "Then you'll just have to transcribe it onto another paper."

Martin brought the letter into his study, searching for a letter opener in the drawer of his desk, "And when I've finished the letter and arrived in Asgard, tell me how I'm supposed to find this person unless of course they've started the post in the other nine realms."

"She'll be easy to find."

Martin had slit the letter open but paused, "She, this Eidra is a she?"

He was now certain he'd heard the name, "Yes, I know you'll have no trouble finding her."

"How so?"

"When you get to Asgard, ask for the whereabouts of a man named Loki."

"Jesus Christ..." The letter fluttered from his hand to the floor and he snatched it up recalling with perfect clarity, the night the young man had arrived on his doorstep, begging his help in restoring the woman he loved, Eidra.

"You know who he is. How could you not know unless you've been lying to me all these years."

He could have said yes, he could have told him he had been lying, that he wasn't from Alfheim but then what would happen to Anna?

"I know full well who he is. Do you?"

"According to mythology he's a god. According to the New York Times, he's a monster."

Martin scanned the letter, "And you want me to deliver this letter just as it's worded here?"

"Yes,"

He sensed irritation in David's voice, "And you've not the slightest worry about him?"

"Not if you deliver the letter only to her, though I doubt I would worry very much about him, after all, he's not immortal."

Here Martin had to smile, "Indeed, tell me though, have you ever tried to kill him?" but David ignored his question.

"Transcribe the letter and deliver it. The quicker you do this, the better off Anna will be."

"I have your word?" Martin had taken out a sheet of plain paper from the drawer and after a moment, started to rewrite the letter in old script, nearly forgotten. He would have to take his time not only in writing the letter but in delivering it.

"You realize I've not ridden a horse in thirty years or more. It will take time to reach Asgard and find this woman. How will you know if I've done my chore?"

"You will. You don't have a choice."

Martin pushed his glasses up onto his nose, "It would seem I do not."

"Just do what I ask and consider it a good deed. Think of all the people you'll be helping in the future."

Martin stopped writing. He needed to concentrate, the letters in his mind were old, faded, "I can't think straight. Can't write and talk at the same time."

"I'll let you get to it then. I'll be in touch."

The line went dead, silent. Martin stared at the phone in his hand, wondering if he'd just had a waking dream. He almost called out to Anna again, then he looked down at his desk, at the letter smoothed out, written in flowing script and a tear spilled from his eye as he began to transcribe it once again, in earnest.


	63. Chapter 63

Loki was awakened the next day to Fen jumping onto the bed, "PAPA!" joined soon after by Cait. As Loki watched Fen and Cait playing together he nudged Eidra, who was sitting at the end of the bed, with his foot, "I have missed this so very much. Have you told them where we are going?"

Fen looked up at Loki, waiting.

"I have not told them we are going to see Sally and Ren."

Fen was at once atop his chest, "When Papa?"

"As early as this morning if we are able to pull ourselves together and pack."

Fen turned to Eidra, "Mama, will you pack for me?"

Eidra frowned good naturedly, "Just like a man. Expecting a woman to do everything for him."

"But Mama, you always do everything for me."

Loki hid his face in the pillow as he laughed, her swat at his behind making him laugh harder. It felt so good to be with his family again.

"But sire, you have only just returned and now you are leaving again?" Hal took the tunic from the trunk on the bedroom floor, refolding it properly as Loki tossed in another tunic. Hal lifted it up as well with a cluck of the tongue, "Really."

"You will be given time off with pay. How can one argue that?" He handed Hal a pair of breeches which he gratefully took and began to fold.

"At least here I am of use." Hal paused and Loki eyed him.

"Continue."

Hal laid the breeches in the trunk, "Do not trouble yourself with the trials of a manservant, Sire."

"Nonsense, if you are troubled how can you do you job properly? Out with it, man."

Hal seemed about to open his mouth when Eidra sailed into the room, "Helgi is helping Fen pack." She leaned over the trunk. "Save room for my dresses."

"Yes, Milady."

"Hal, continue on." Loki prodded though Hal's face twisted in embarrassment and his eyes flitted to Eidra.

"I prefer the hustle and bustle of the household. The complaining of that curmudgeon, Gretten. The twitter of Ingrid and Milady to what I am faced with each night."

Loki raised an eyebrow and Eidra stood waiting, "What do you mean?"

"Silence, all I ever hear, or rather do not hear, is silence. Vesta is a mouse of a woman, beautiful, but still a mouse."

Eidra nodded, "It is in her nature, I have tried to draw her out to no avail. She panics whenever I speak to her outside of the household chores."

"Exactly," Hal became animated, "And at night she sits before the fire and sews or reads. One could hear a pin drop."

Eidra laid a dress on the bed and began to fold it, "You could come with us. A week in the country might do you good."

"No, thank you. She needs me," He slowed, thoughts drifting as he lifted Eidra's dress and carefully placed it in the trunk, then coming to himself he stood and bowed. "I appreciate the invitation."

Eidra handed him another dress, "I will continue to work on her when we return. I found a common ground with Gretten, surely I can find one with Vesta."

Hal gave a small smile, "You are most kind, Milady. Let us hope for success."

As they were loading the trunks onto the wagon, Eidra sidled up to Loki, "Was I ever a mouse?"

Loki brushed his lips to her temple, "At first yes, until you found your voice."

"And now I am rarely silent."

Loki bit his lip though Eidra saw it and poked him in the side, "You rogue! You shall pay for that later."

Fen yanked at Loki's hand as he bent to kiss Eidra, "Papa, there is no time for that. The wagon is loaded!"

"Fen!" Helgi called, "Leave them alone and help me with your sister."

Eidra looked over Loki's shoulder and smiled at Helgi who merely rolled her eyes and waved to Fen, "Come on, up in the wagon, I shall hand Cait to you."

After everyone was finally settled in the wagon, any last minute issues taken care of, Hal promising to take care of the livestock with Vesta, they were ready. Eidra had turned the wagon, Blackberry struggling a bit in the soft mud. Loki had decided to ride Lightning and was sitting astride, waiting for the wagon to come around when a gruff voice behind him made him turn. It was Gretten with a pouch around his shoulder and he was trotting towards them.

He bowed low, "Sire, could I beg your favor?"

"What is it?"

Gretten reddened, pushing at the mud with his boot. "Seeing as you are going to Rialo, could I trouble you to carry a letter the village of Andara?"

Loki reached down and took the letter Gretten held up to him, "To whom do I give it?"

He had lowered his head until his chin touched his chest, "Berta, my sister."

"She lives in town?"

"Yes Sire. I wanted to tell her I was coming to visit her, seeing as you've given us some time to ourselves."

Loki stuffed the letter into his satchel, "Very well." He motioned to Eidra who by then was sitting with her arms crossed, reins in her lap.

"Gretten, why did you not tell me?"

Gretten shrugged as she shook her head, "I asked you only this morn what you were going to be about while we were gone. Get up on the wagon."

Gretten glanced up at Loki, trying to gauge his reaction finding none, then he looked to Eidra. "I couldn't presume to..."

"You shall get in the wagon and make yourself comfortable," Eidra pointed behind her. "There is no need to walk when we are going in the same direction."

When Gretten again looked up to Loki, he was gesturing at the wagon, "Do as she says so that we may be off. Be warned though, Fen will talk your ear off,"

"As if he has not already," Gretten smiled as he climbed into the back of the wagon.

"And the idle chatter of the women may turn your head to mush. Now let us go."

Fen crawled over Helgi's lap and settled himself beside Gretten, "Hi." and Gretten caught Eidra's smile as she slapped the reins and the wagon lurched forward.

As they rolled along down the road, Loki told Eidra what had happened in Alfheim, about Velos and Marwen, Freyr's intervention. How he had wanted to save the two young lovers whose plight had so mirrored theirs and that perhaps in doing so, he would find the smallest measure of redemption where he had failed her so long ago. The look of adoration she gave him made his heart swell with pride, and more, with love. Were it not for Brenna's continued absence, he would need nothing else in his life. He would be complete. He determined then when they returned from their sabbatical, he would write a letter to Brenna, asking her to come home for a short time, take a break from Midgard. He would even give her what she wanted. He would take her to Asgard, introduce her to the court, perhaps find her a rich husband. After all, how could she be serious about a boy like Chase?

Then he would give her the Uruz to keep. He patted its familiar shape beneath his tunic and smiled. As he had risen above Eidra the evening past, she had slipped the Uruz back over his neck and whispered "Welcome home" He glanced over at her.

"What are you thinking of?" She tilted her head at him.

"I was thinking of last night." and he winked at her.

"You dog," She scolded him though she flushed with the recollection.

"Tell me, what else kept you occupied while I was away?"

From the back of the wagon came a grunt, "She pestered me endlessly in the kitchen."

"And you did not tell me to leave." Eidra called back to Gretten.

"What would be the use? You would not listen."

"Do not believe him, Loki. He picked my brains every chance he had and now he believes himself a better cook than I."

Loki looked behind him where Gretten was fighting a smile, "When we return home, we shall have to put such a boast to the test then."

"And I wrote a letter to Brenna. I want you to take it back to Asgard with you so Thor may bring it to Midgard." Eidra sighed, "I asked her when she was to come home."

Loki chuckled at this, "I was pondering writing her a letter asking her the same thing."

"You should." She waved at him, "Perhaps it will sway her to hear our pleas in unison."

"She is stubborn that one." Helgi called, "You would do better to drag her back to Asgard."

"She will come home when she is ready." Loki assured them even as he tried to reassure himself.

When at last they left Gretten off in Andara with a promise to fetch him on the way back through and covered the last few rods to Rialo, it was late afternoon.

Sally heard the wagon stop outside the front door as she was drawing the bread out of the bread oven to the left of the hearth, and she looked over at Ren who shrugged. "A customer?"

At the knock on the door, Ren opened it and shouted aloud, "Gods! Loki, Eidra!"

Sally dropped the bread pan on the table and rushed to the door, "Blessed be!"

She hugged Eidra gingerly and ushered them in, taking Cait from Helgi and fussing over her as Fen clutched at her skirts.

"We came to pay you an extended visit. Loki has been given some time away from the palace and we chose to spend it visiting you." Eidra said as she hugged Ren.

"It will be like old times. We'll knit and play games, find ye some cloth for a new dress. We can visit the graves as the snow has given way and ye can meet the young couple who took over yer cottage. They're darlin' folk with a little girl just turned two. They'd be thrilled to have the prince grace them with his presence. Oh this is just what we needed. 'Tis become powerful drear. Spring cannot come soon enough." Sally kissed Cait's cheek and she giggled.

"Oh listen to ye. She's grown so. Come sit now, we'll set the table and find comfortable arrangements."

Eidra smiled, felt Loki's hand caress her neck as he leaned into her shoulder, "Like being home again, is it not?"

"Indeed," She put her hand to his cheek feeling his lips brush the skin behind her ear before she bustled off to help Sally and Ren.

On the morn of their fourth day in Rialo, Sally, Eidra and Loki set out for the old cottage leaving Helgi and Ren in charge of the children.

"I hope Cait has stopped crying by now." They had listened to her wail until the edge of town when either they'd gone far enough or she'd given up.

"Ah she'll be fine, sure and she's trying to make ye feel bad." Sally patted her arm.

The small cottages and fields rolled by, Eidra waving to people she saw, neighbors who stopped their chores to talk. More than once were they asked if they were coming back to Rialo and as they continued on, Eidra nudged Loki, "See, they did not ask me. They asked us. How can you say we were not welcome here?"

"Nonsense," Sally agreed, then pointing as they neared, "There she is."

The roof had been given a new thatch and the outer wall repainted white. Smoke curled from the chimney hole and Eidra felt an overwhelming sadness as she recalled the happy times spent within.

They pulled into the dooryard, Loki helping Eidra and Sally down from the wagon as the front door opened and a young man appeared, wiping his hands on a cloth, "May I help you?"

Seeing Sally wave as she stepped to the ground, he smiled, "Sally, welcome." but when Loki turned to face him, the color seemed to drain from his ruddy face and he dropped to one knee, "Your Highness, I...I did not know you were...Lilith!" He called over his shoulder as Loki put up his hands,

"Please, stand up..."

"Edmund, your highness."

Lilith appeared in the doorway, a toddler with blond hair in braids hanging onto her hand, "Edmund, must you stand there shouting? Odin's..." She started to drop to her knee as well but Loki stopped her, "No! There is no need, Eidra?" He called as Eidra came forward to clasp Lilith's hands in hers. "We wished to visit our old cottage, we miss it so. I hope we have not intruded."

Lilith dropped in a little curtsey, "Our house is yours. Come in while I put on a kettle."

Eidra watched the pretty robust young woman usher the little girl back into the cottage and she sighed to herself as she rubbed her belly, wondering if she looked as old as she felt but soon Loki was taking her arm and they walked inside the cottage behind Edmund and Sally.

The royal guard stared over the edge of the parapet as he shouted down to the stranger standing at the gates. "Come again?"

"I say, which way to Asgard!"

The guardsman rubbed his chin in confusion. Didn't everyone know the way to Asgard? "Why you follow the road you just left to the north and keep going, you cannot miss it."

Martin nodded, "About how long do you imagine It'll take to get there?"

"On foot? Two days hence at the least, on horseback, a day riding steady. Do you not have a horse?"

"Ah no, why, have you?"

The guardsman laughed, "Not for the likes of a rogue like yourself. Move along."

Martin touched the brim of his sunhat, "Give my regards to King Freyr."

When he reached the road he'd turned from, he looked about. So much had changed. It had been a miracle he'd recalled where Freyr's castle was. "At the very least I'll not freeze." He sighed, glancing up at the sun, feeling the warmth of spring seeping through his jacket "North it is." adjusted his backpack and headed down the road, keeping to the side to avoid the muddy ruts.

Eidra touched the stones of the small cairn. "He lived but a short time."

Lilith nodded, her hands clasped before her, "I lost two babies before fortune favored us with Birte."

"However did you keep your heart from breaking?" Eidra took Lilith's hand and stroked it.

"I did not. It broke again and again. Then it healed."

Loki had knelt on one knee to brush dirt and errant grass from Chris's name chiseled into the stone. The letters were rough, he'd meant to refine them come this spring, perhaps he would return to do so. He felt fingers run through his hair, a shadow cross the stone. "Perhaps we shall meet again when I cross over. I can but hope."

Eidra tugged gently at his loose ponytail, "And I with you."

Loki stood and brushed the dirt from his breeches, "What do you expect to plant this season?" He turned to Edmund.

"Barley, Sire. I have walked the field many times over since we settled here."

Loki nodded, "Good, a change in crops is a welcome respite. We last planted oats."

As Loki looked down the path towards the fields, Eidra could see his face darken, "We should be getting back to Rialo."

Loki turned to her, "What?"

"Cait has probably worn Helgi and Ren to tears." In truth she wished to remove Loki from what she sensed was an overwhelming melancholia and to her relief, he gave a nod, "Indeed, this place holds many memories for me, sad to recall."

When Edmund made to apologize, he held up a hand, "It is not of your doing. With the bitter comes also the sweet."

Once back at the cottage, they thanked Lilith and Edmund for their hospitality, declining their offer to stay for the evening meal and headed back to Rialo though at a slower pace as Eidra had complained of being sore.

"On the morrow, I am going to ride to Asgard. I promised Thor I would return before the sixth day had passed." Loki felt Eidra stiffen as she leaned into his side.

"So soon?"

"If you wish to stay a bit longer with Sally and Ren, I will return for you two days hence. You will be happy of the extra time and I will rest easier knowing you are among friends."

"Ye know yer welcome to stay as long as ye like." Sally chimed in, her arm about Eidra's shoulders, "The house sings now. The children have been a joy."

Eidra smiled. Sally had been up early every morning playing, singing with Cait and Fen.

"I do so wish you would come to live with us again." Eidra murmured.

"Someday, me poppet, I couldn't leave Ren now if I wanted to. She grows older every day and I am loathe to let her struggle with her wares. It seems I'm destined to be caretaker once again."

"It is settled then, I will see that everything is well at the palace then I shall return for you."

Eidra nodded, whispered in his ear, "Thank you."

He lifted her hand and kissed it, clutching it to his chest, "Anything for you, my love, anything."

Martin tipped his boot and out tumbled a few pebbles. He tapped the bottom for good measure and laid the boot beside him on the stone wall where he now sat looking at the distant skyline of Asgard. The unseasonable warmth gave a haze to the city even as it tugged at his heart. Like some barely remembered dream, the more time he'd spent in Alfheim, the more familiar the landscape grew as if clearing away the dust of a hundred years with each forward step.

It also gave him a new perspective, the years seeming to peel away from his soul as well. When he was finished with this whole sordid business, he was going to take a leap of faith. He was going to wrap up his affairs on Earth, sell the house, hell he might even donate it to charity, push his little gas guzzler into the Thames. Then he was going to get down on one knee, beg Anna to make an honest man of him and bring her to Alfheim, praying that she wouldn't lose her mind in the process. It was the only sure way to make sure something like this never happened again.

First, however, he needed to deliver the letter. He patted his backpack, looking at the sun as it began to touch the horizon. He would never make the city by nightfall. A wagon had passed him earlier telling him of an inn further up the road, he would stop there for the night and then continue on in the morning. He felt in his pants pocket for the old coins nestled there. He'd kept them as precious mementos and now he wasn't even sure they were still legal tender here in Asgard. He slipped his boot back on, shouldered his pack and started down the road again. If not for the seriousness of the situation, this would be a grand adventure but all he could think of was Anna, somewhere unknown, terrified, alone and he quickened his pace as the last of the sun dipped below the distant mountain peaks.

In the pre-dawn hours, Loki had slipped away before anyone had awakened, save Eidra who had handed him Brenna's letter and kissed him goodbye. He'd made good time alone, riding Lightning but the sun had nearly reached its zenith before he dismounted in the courtyard and ran up the steps into the palace. The halls seemed eerily still and he turned to the royal guards who stood at either side of the great doors. "Where is my brother?"

The guard to his left bowed, "Your Majesty, the council is in session at this time. The King is in attendance."

As Loki neared the great hall, he could hear shouting, recognizing Thor's voice as he answered one of the council members. Members of the court were milling about in the corridor trying to hear what was being said, endeavoring to see the goings on through the open doors. The hall itself was full. He could see the Aesir at the left side of the room, The High Council at the end of the great hall. In the center, he was shocked to see Odin seated and leaning forward intently. At the right side he could just make out Thor above the heads of the crowd and he moved forward. When people realized he was there, they bowed, moved from his path, "Your Majesty," whispered here and there until he was standing at the front of the crowd. One of the royal guardsmen saw him and was about to announce his presence but Loki put a finger to his lips and the guardsman fell quiet with a curious look on his face.

"You heard the queen mother!" Thor bellowed, "She saw the queen prostrate over Magnus's body when it was brought back to Asgard! What further evidence do you need of her treachery?"

Then a voice he knew full well rang out in the hall. He craned to see where everyone's gaze had led.

"What would you have me do?" It was Sif, sitting at Thor's right hand, "You who wished only to use me as a means to an heir, when you have had your fill of maidservant and noblewomen alike."

"You have rejected me from the day of our marriage onward! You are a cold, calculating woman!"

"Then why seem you so taken aback by my confession? You ask me why I do what I have done? Because there was no love between us and so I found it elsewhere."

"Were you a commoner, this would be acceptable. You could have dissolved the union yourself, left with Magnus for the ends of the nine realms but you are not a commoner, you are Queen of Asgard and as such are governed by a different set of rules!"

Sif had been about to retaliate but Odin's voice rose above the others, "The reasons are undoubtedly endless. We are not here to debate those facts. You have sought to raise a bastard to the throne of Asgard, you have been found guilty of adultery and high treason to the crown."

Loki watched Odin's stare bear down upon Sif. He was more lucid today, as if his former glory had been restored to him by this crisis but his tremors, seen even from a distance, belied the still present truth.

When he looked from Odin to his brother, Thor was staring at him, his jaw set, his gaze grim. Loki nodded to him and saw his face soften, nearly crumble. Odin's words came back to him then, high treason. Producing a bastard, committing adultery were certainly reasons for dissolving a union but they were not high treason. Something had happened in his absence but he dared not ask the crowd about him. Instead he listened.

"And what will you do now? You reject the only son you have known because you choose to believe the Midgardian's black magic and so you have no heir! When you die, there will be infighting and civil unrest..."

"There is yet time to produce an heir! I am in my prime yet should it be that I fail, rest assured the throne will remain in the house of Odin!"

Suddenly, all eyes seemed to be looking at him and he heard Sif's laughter echo through the hall, "The house of Odin will be represented by the son of a discarded Jotunn and a servant girl! This you accept over the son of a warrior and a queen?"

Had he been standing beside Thor, he would have spat in her face and damn the consequences but Thor was already upon her, leaning down, face inches from her own. "I accept the son of a son of Odin and a princess over that of a whore and a traitor to the crown!"

Odin had now risen unsteadily to his feet with the aid of a manservant at his elbow, "Enough! The High Council has heard all it needs to make a decision. We will retreat to discuss what will be done and re-adjourn before sunset."

They watched the council members stand and file out of the room then the crowds began to shift. He saw Thor move from his chair towards him without so much as a backwards glance at Sif who remained in her chair staring at the floor, flanked by two royal guards.

He pushed through the crowd to reach Thor who had been stopped by some of the Aesir. When he neared him, Thor reached out and grabbed his arm, "Excuse me, I must talk to my brother."

Thor guided him away from the crowd. He was looking for a quiet place and found it on the balcony they had stood at not so very long ago to talk after the recognizing ceremony for Fen and Cait.

"Thank Odin you have returned." Thor embraced him roughly, then holding him at arms length, "I wanted to send a messenger to fetch you here but there was no time."

"I was of the opinion you were going to wait for my return to start proceedings against Sif."

Thor bowed his head, "And I would have, had not she made an attempt upon my life."

Loki put a hand on Thor's shoulder, "Surely you cannot mean it."

"Indeed brother." He leaned on the railing, his long hair obscuring his face, "While I slept. Had she not stumbled in the darkness and awakened me, she might have succeeded. I found her with the dagger in her hand, standing above me."

Loki leaned back against the railing, arms crossed as he watched the crowd mill about waiting for the Council to return, "What now then? What will the Council do?"

Thor gripped the marble railing tight, "Flog her, imprison her for the rest of her days. She is of noble birth and crowned a queen. The Aesir have already made their wishes clear."

Loki frowned, "On Midgard kings and queens have lost their heads for such crimes, perhaps we should adopt their ways."

Thor stood straight, looked behind him, "I do not wish to see her dead for what good is punishment if it does not teach right from wrong?" He paused, "I am glad you are returned to us. Did you enjoy your time away?"

"I did," he couldn't help the smile that sprang to his lips, "Eidra and the children have remained in Rialo. I am to return to fetch them."

"When?"

"I intended to do so two days hence. I would leave here, reopen the manor and ride back to the village to escort them. Eidra must be careful when she travels."

"Did I tell you how greatly I envy you?"

Loki had felt guilty in the past, realizing how his life had changed from cursed to charmed, seeing Thor's mirror him in the opposite. Now it had become a glaring reality.

"Perhaps all will change now."

"It must," Thor ran his fingers through his hair.

"It will." Loki waved him back towards the crowd, "For the better."

"You will be flogged,"

The gasp that spread through the crowd contrasted with the stone faces of the Aesir and the Council.

"The lashes shall number not less than two hundred. Thereafter you shall be imprisoned until the end of your days or until the King sees fit to pardon you whichever may come first."

Sif had been sitting quietly, her head dropped into her hands in defeat and she muttered, "What of my son?"

The Council member who had been reading the parchment aloud, leaned closer to her, "Speak plainly."

"WHAT OF MY SON!?" She roared as he stumbled backwards from her.

The Council member held the paper up before him again with a slight trembling of his hand, "He shall be raised by the Aesir here in the castle. He is an innocent, the fault of his parentage cannot rest on his head. Therefore, your name shall be stricken from his birth scroll so that he may not be marred by scandal."

"NO! You may wipe my name, lock me away but you shall not be free of me! I will still be here, waiting, beneath your feet!"

The Council member nodded to the royal guards who now flanked her. They reached for her hands, her wrists now shackled together and she flailed at them wildly until they were able to pull her up by her arms, "You shall never silence me!"

The royal guardsmen began to drag her from the great hall as Loki looked to Thor. He'd turned alabaster pale, her screams furrowing his brow ever deeper as he rose to follow the guardsmen on their way to the arena. Loki watched him trudge through the crowd, stop and turn to him, "Will you not come with me to bear witness?"

Loki felt rooted to the floor. He wanted to run to the stables and grab Lightning, ride at a full gallop until he reached Rialo. He wanted to strip off his shirt and lay the lash to Sif's back himself for her unconscionable acts, her bold insult to his family. He wanted to guide his brother away from the painful spectacle that was about to take place, turn back time.

"Do not abandon me brother when my need for you is greatest."

Loki moved through the crowd to Thor's side where Thor patted him on the shoulder with a gentle smile, "Thank you Loki." and they continued out of the great hall towards the screams still echoing down the corridor.


	64. Chapter 64

He'd awakened obscenely late, dressed and left the inn. The night before, he had picked the brains of the innkeeper, a heavyset short gray haired woman in a black dress and apron which looked like it hadn't been cleaned in years. He'd started by asking about Eidra whom the woman had confessed she'd heard of, she being the wife of the prince regent, but had never seen. When he had asked if she knew where Eidra lived, hoping against hope that she wouldn't say they lived in the palace because then all would be lost, she had admitted she didn't know. "The thing to do would be to go to Asgard and ask about. I've heard tell they live outside the city but I know not where."

He kept on putting one foot in front of the other until at last he was at the crossroads watching people, wagons, file in and out of the massive open gates of the walled city. Plucking up the courage, he flagged down a woman in a small cart filled with cages of clucking, chirping chickens.

"Excuse me?"

The woman reined in her little bay, "Yes?"

"Ah, forgive me. I am looking for a woman.."

The young woman sat back, shocked, "How rude!"

Martin paused, confused, then laughed, "Oh no, no, please allow me to finish. I am looking for a woman named Eidra, you've doubtless heard of her."

"If by the name you mean, I have heard of a few such. It is an Alfari name. If by the person herself, do you mean the wife of the prince regent Loki?"

Here Martin paused, what if the woman were to announce to her friends that a man was looking for the prince regent's wife? What if the general alarm was sounded? _There you go again, Martin, thinking like a Midgardian,_ "Ah yes, do they reside in the palace." Martin smiled at her, "I'm an old friend and I'd like to visit with her."

"They do not reside in the palace. They took up residence in the old Ericson Manor south of the city a couple moons ago."

Martin let out a deep breath, realized he'd been holding it in, "Ah then, I keep along the road I've been traveling. About how far have I to go?"

"On foot, I would say near to a half day's journey. Pity you do not possess a horse."

Martin bowed to her, "That is my lot, I'm afraid."

The young woman nodded, "Good day to you then," and slapped her reins onto the bay's rump. The cart jerked forward, Martin watching it for a moment until the young woman pulled in the reins again, turned in her seat and surveyed him. "I could let you sit in the cart with the hens. I pass the manor on the way to my cottage. It would be a sight faster than walking."

Martin trotted up to the cart, "I've not much I could offer you in exchange. Some old coin."

The young woman shrugged and smiled and he was reminded painfully of the reason he was here, "I asked for nothing in return. I simply offered you a ride."

As he fidgeted, unsure whether to hop onto the space beside one of the chicken cages, she tilted her head backwards, "Come now or I will not make it home before dark."

As he sat down gingerly beside one of the cages, his feet dangling off the back inches above the road, she looked back at him, "Where do you hail from if I may be so bold to ask?"

"Oh, uh Alfheim but I've been gone for a very long time."

"I thought as much, your accent seems strange. It is good to be back then is it not?"

Martin watched the city fall away behind them, "Yes, it is."

Loki shook his head trying somehow to clear the sounds, images from his mind as he held Lightning at a gallop. Having been at the other end of the lash when he'd returned from Midgard in shackles, he felt every strike until at last, he begged Thor's forgiveness and climbed the stairs out of the arena to the south courtyard. When at last her cries ceased though he could still hear plainly the lash, he knew she'd slipped into unconsciousness. Thor found him a short time later walking the parapet of the courtyard wall watching the city as it bustled with activity, citizens heading home for the evening meal, finishing their day's work.

"It is finished," He had delivered in a tired voice, "They have taken her to her cell where she will be cared for by the healers."

Loki had said nothing, just let him speak, "I did love her. It was I pushed father to choose her, citing the fine qualities she possessed, the noble bloodline, and now it is sullied."

"What will you do now?"

Thor had grinned and Loki had been relieved to see the boy still within the man, "I will pack a satchel and visit Midgard for a day or two."

Loki knew he intended to visit the Foster woman, "Eidra has a letter for Brenna. Can you see she gets it?"

Thor had agreed and Loki had taken his leave, eager to be away from the somber mood of the palace.

Loki stopped to rest by the side of the road at one point, leading Lightning into the woods to his usual watering hole where the horse proceeded to walk directly into the pool at the bottom of a small waterfall. He ducked his nose into the water further until half his snout was beneath then picked up his great head and shook it. Loki stepped back from the edge of the pool to avoid the spray, instead cupping his hand under a small rivulet and taking a long drink. He heard the sound of approaching hoof beats on the road. He peered through the trees, catching glimpses of a little cart rumbling by with cages piled high. A man and a woman sat side by side on the front seat and he could hear the distant cackling of chickens. From his distance, he could not make out who it was though he suspected it might be Calda from the cages and her familiar brown spotted bay. He bought chickens from her frequently.

He waded a bit into the pool, lifted the reins floating in the water and pulled Lightning to the shore where he stood and shook the water from him. Loki waited till he stilled then fished into his pocket for a piece of venison jerky while Lightning nosed the undergrowth for something to eat though the early spring greens hadn't yet started to shoot up. Loki looked about the forest. The light was fading. He had thought to ride through until Rialo but now it seemed he would have to stay alone in the house this evening. He would wake in the morning, fetch Hal and have him open the house then ride to Rialo and bring Eidra home.

Martin tipped his sunhat to Calda, offering her some coins though she pushed them away yet again and he watched her continue on down the road. He had started to search at the end of the road that led down a rutted path between the trees, then slapping himself on the forehead and chuckling nervously, "Looking for a postal box you old fool."

He started at a quick pace down the path, hoping fervently to simply slip the letter beneath the front door and disappear. Then he would return to Earth, call David and tell him he'd done his chore and wait. That would be the hardest thing to do, wait for Anna to show up on his doorstep.

The manor house was dark. Off to his left a ways across the property, he saw a few small cottages, one with light shining through the windows. The caretaker's place, or perhaps servant housing. He considered leaving the letter with them then considered the less he was seen, the better. He inched up to the house and peered in the windows. The rooms were dark. Had the young woman dropped him at the wrong road? Then again she had told him there had been some big doings at the palace. Perhaps Loki and Eidra were there in attendance. It would make the task somewhat easier for him. Just slip it under the door and leave. But what if they'd gone on a long holiday? If it took two weeks for her to get the letter, what would become of Anna?

He knelt down on the stone steps before the door, peering beneath the door itself to see if there were enough space to slip the letter underneath.

Loki held Lightning at a walk as he headed down the path between the trees. The sun had slipped behind the mountain and dusk was falling but enough light still remained for Loki to spy a man on his knees before the front door of the manor house. Loki reined in Lightning just before the path widened into the clearing, eased himself to the ground, and with a hand on the hilt of his sword started towards the figure.

Martin had dropped his pack on the steps beside him and now he was fiddling with the strap, cursing under his breath, "Bloody hell, that's what I get for being overcautious." One side came free and he reached into the depths, pulling out the letter. He bent over again, sending a silent prayer upwards as began to slide the letter beneath the door. The tap on his shoulder nearly caused him to scream aloud.

"Make no move in haste or you shall feel the sting of my sword."

Martin sat back on his heels, slow, the letter still clutched in his hands. Over his right shoulder, he could see the tip of the sword hovering inches from his cheek.

"Stand up, turn and face me."

If he lived another hundred years, he would never forget the voice speaking to him now. His knees felt weak and he held the letter in a death grip as he turned about to face Loki.

Loki lowered his sword a bit and canted his head to the side as he studied the man's face in the fading light. Could it be after all these years? Loki stepped closer, "Martin?"

Martin tried to keep his voice steady, he tried so hard, but it was nigh well impossible, "I..I'm flattered you...you remembered me."

Loki's face eased into a grin, "Whatever brings you to Asgard? Have you decided to return to Alfheim?" he slid his sword back into its scabbard.

"Ah, I, yes I have decided to return to Alfheim to live out my remaining years." This at least was the truth.

Loki clapped him on the shoulder, "Have you come to me for assistance? I owe you a debt after all."

Loki walked past him to the door, "If it be a cottage you seek, coin, you have but to ask. Eidra is my life's joy. You restored her to me. " He looked over his shoulder at Martin who was now sure he was a dead man. Loki saw the letter dangling from his fingers and held out his hand. "Here now, you were going to leave a letter without paying me a visit?"

Martin stood there as Loki brought the letter up and turned it about, the smile fading a bit from his lips, "This is addressed to my wife."

His first thought was Brenna but she would have written the word "Mama" on it and Martin would have most certainly not been the deliverer of a letter from his daughter. He doubted Martin even knew he had children. He had not seen him since that night he visited him at his house to beg his help in restoring Eidra.

"What is this?"

Martin's mouth dropped open, his heart was racing. At this rate, if Loki didn't run him through, he was going to have a heart attack. "It is...it's..."

Loki's eyes narrowed. He slit the flap open with his finger and drew out the letter, unfolding it , Martin putting a hand to his mouth while Loki began to read the letter muttering the contents to himself.

_"Dearest Eidra._

_ As you don't know me, I will dispense with the pleasantries. I won't ask how you are this day, nor will I talk about the weather. I won't even ask after your family when after all, only one member of your brood is of importance to me. Your daughter, Brenna. She is safe at the moment, under my care. Whether she remains so is up to you. I have asked her to help me in a private endeavor but she refuses to do so without you at her side. This is costing me precious time I don't have, so consider this. Each minute you waste compromises her safety. I have written the address on the back of this letter. Use whatever means you have to reach us but come alone or you will never see her again. I will be waiting and watching..."_

Martin watched the letter drift from Loki's fingers to the stone steps and bent to retrieve it. A hand at his throat drove him against the outer wall beside the door hard enough to rattle its hardware. He saw stars for a brief second until Loki lifted him from the steps, constricting his windpipe. He felt his boots leave ground and he was dangling in midair pulling, grasping at Loki's hand.

"DID YOU WRITE THIS!?" Loki bellowed,

Martin was sure he was finished, his head was already swimming, his lungs burning even as he knew his next answer could well be his last.

"Yes," He croaked and Loki let an almighty roar, grabbing the front of his shirt and slamming him again to the wall behind him. He had to summon what strength he had left, "But it's not...me..."

Loki's grip relaxed ever so slightly, "Not you! What do you mean?"

"I was made to write it," Martin gasped, "I...I hadn't a choice..." His heart was starting to race again.

"How could this happen?!" Loki renewed his grip, "What mean you that you had no choice!"

"He has Anna!" he was vaguely aware that his spectacles had been knocked off, that he would never find them in the growing darkness, "He has Anna!"

Loki let him go and he dropped to the steps, gagging and coughing as Loki stood over him, "Who is Anna? And who is this man who dares to threaten my family?"

Martin was on his hands and knees taking deep breaths, "Anna, my house...my mate. The woman you met long ago. The man's name is David Wells, you'll find it on the back of the letter."

Loki snatched the letter up from the steps and held it close, trying to see it clearly in the semi-darkness. "He has my daughter Brenna at this very minute?"

Martin looked up at him. He could've said no. He could've told him to find the address and go in guns blazing but doing so would undoubtedly forfeit Anna's life. And what if he were wrong, what if David had found a way by now to draw Brenna to him? David had finally gone completely crazy and Martin dared not gamble with so precious a thing as Anna's life.

"Yes, he has."

Loki reached down and hauled him to his feet, shirt tight in his fist, "And he sent you to deliver this message?"

"Yes, because he knew I would. If it were the love of your life at stake, wouldn't you do likewise?"

Loki could scarce breath, his hands were trembling, mind afire at the same time he felt a terrible empty panic. He'd felt that same deep dread when Brenna had run away to Midgard only now he wanted to be at the throat of this David Wells unzipping his guts with his dagger.

He stood still, staring hard at the address, then without a word further to Martin, he opened the door of his house and strode inside.

Martin stared into the depths where a lantern suddenly blazed to life and rose like a spirit up the staircase just inside the door. He turned and looked about the dooryard. Lightning regarded him anxiously and Martin considered slipping away into the night but a few minutes later, a different man emerged from the house, passing him as if he weren't there. He took Lightning's reins and led him to a small corral a short way down the path to his left, latching the gate behind the agitated horse.

Martin watched him return up the path to the dooryard then and realized Loki was dressed in a tailored suit from Midgard. He set the lantern on the stone steps.

"Whatever are you going to do?" Martin asked him, "This man is insane, you must know that. He thinks your daughter is the key to some sort of fantastical cure and he is a desperate man. He has dangerous friends."

"He has made far more dangerous enemies," Loki pulled the Uruz from his shirt and held it up to reflect the lantern light.

"A portal stone." Martin murmured as he drew a dark green luminous rock from his pocket, "I've not seen another one in ages."

Loki twirled the Uruz between his fingers, "I will find my daughter," He whispered to the stone, "Midgard, United States, New York, Tarrytown." as Eidra had taught him, biggest to smallest.

Martin saw him put the letter in the inner pocket of his suit.

"I will find her." Loki gazed into the portal at the lights of the city of Tarrytown. "And then no one shall ever be bothered by this David Wells again."

A moment later, Martin was alone, fingering the stone in his pocket. The next part of the task would be to return home and call David, tell him he'd delivered the package. He took out the stone, imagining Loki meeting David at the door to his posh mansion, snapping his neck like a twig. Then Anna would be freed, had to be freed and they would return to Alfheim. He drew a circle in the air with the stone, watching his portal shimmer and solidify at the front of his own country house as he stepped through to make his call and wait.


	65. Chapter 65

She could hear the low pitched hum, could almost feel it in the air about her as she stood in the middle of the dim hallway. She closed her eyes against the scene, opened them again. She was still there and she began to panic, breath coming fast as she stumbled forward, felt the rough carpet beneath her feet and realized she was barefoot this time. This was new. Again she started to try the handle of each door, yanking hard, knocking, hoping one would lead to the outside. Again they were all locked tight until she reached the end of the hall where the big black door stood beckoning to her. The second to last door on her right gave way when she pulled at it and she stood looking into another one of those terrifying dark bare rooms where sat a young woman, her arms wrapped about her knees as she rocked, humming a familiar tune to herself. After a moment, she realized the young woman was humming the national anthem of the United States. She'd had to learn it in her American History class.

She was plain. Her blond hair was pulled back in a shaggy ponytail, wisps of hair haloed about her as if she'd been yanking at her head. She wore a red pullover and black slacks. She too was barefoot. When she became aware that she was no longer alone, she stopped humming though she kept rocking.

"Have you found him yet?"

Her accent was strange, not unpleasant, a bit like Professor James who had been visiting the school from someplace called Great Britain. She found herself drawn further into the room.

"I am not looking for anyone. I am searching for the way out."

The woman shook her head, "There's no way out of here. That's what the guard told me."

She was puzzled, every time she'd found herself here in the past few weeks, she'd seen not a soul. She'd heard voices, screams sometimes but never had she seen anyone.

"I thought you were looking for him."

"The guard?"

This time the blond laughed, unfurled herself and jumped to her feet, "No, no you silly girl. Come on, if we find him, maybe we can find my M.I.P," She giggled, "Well at least that's what I call him, my Most Important Person,"

The woman raced through the open door, "Hurry, before the guard comes back."

She followed her down the hallway to the next door which the woman flung open to her chagrin. She'd never been able to open any door before.

They both peered into the room which seemed better furnished than the one the woman had been in. It had a TV, a table and a bed to the left of the door. She walked further into the room though the blond said, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

When she turned to answer her, she caught a glimpse of what was lying in the bed and she put her hand over her mouth to stifle her scream. The mangled body of a young girl lay there, her head at an impossible angle on the pillow, one arm missing, the side of her face a pulp of tissue and bone, chest caved. Her torn clothes were soaked with blood, the only untouched portion of her body were her feet, with their painted toenails as if an effort had been made to lighten the whole horrific scene.

"I told you, she's not the one you're looking for."

The young blond grabbed her by the arm, drawing her away from the woman's body back out into the hall and to the next door at the opposite side of the corridor. As the woman swung the door open she caught a glimpse of a figure sitting on a bench against the wall. The young woman turned and wrinkled her nose, "No, I don't think he's the one you're looking for either..." She glanced into the room, "Is he?"

She eased past the woman and peered into the dimly lit room. What she saw there made her squeal out loud. The figure at the bench looked up and a slow smile grew on his face. "Uncle Chris!"

She ran into the room prepared to embrace him but he shouted, "Easy, Bren! Good Heavens you want to get stuck right and proper?"

He'd been whittling a piece of wood which he sat down on the bench with the small knife, held out his arms, "There now, come see your uncle!"

She hesitated, then wrapped her arms about his neck, at once overjoyed to see him again, yet profoundly sad. In the back of her mind, she knew he was gone.

"What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here? Child, the question is, what are you here for? 'Tis a dangerous place."

"I do not know. I have been here before but never have I been able to open any of the doors until now."

"Come on," The blond woman was calling to her, "We have to keep looking." but she didn't want to leave.

"I am sorry, Uncle Chris. I am sorry I did not come back home to see you."

"Now poppet, never you mind. I came to see you instead. You've done a fine job with your studies." he patted her back, she felt his fingers and wondered how he could seem so real.

She stood up then, looking to his left to the carved animal. He followed her gaze and chuckled.

"Ah old habits die hard. It helps to pass the time until I see you all again, should have a right zoo for Fen though he be too old to play with them when his time comes. I suppose they'll just sit in their box and gather dust, but it's not him I am worried about.."

She felt a hand clutch at her arm, the woman was dragging her back towards the door, "Hurry, there's someone you've got to see before it's too late."

She looked back towards the door, then to Uncle Chris, "Worried, what is there to be worried about?"

"Something is happening, you shouldn't be able to open these doors yet."

She reached out to Chris who took her hand in his briefly then let it slip away, "Take care, my child. I feel the scales have become unbalanced."

She felt a hard tug then, looked at the woman behind her, then back to Chris but he was no longer there.

"Oh won't you hurry? It's getting late, I have to get back to my room and you have to get back to your bed."

She let herself be led out of the room, further down the corridor. As they started for the next door, the lights in the ceiling flickered and brightened.

The woman's eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped open, "Quickly, open the door!"

She took the handle and yanked it open swinging backwards with it. Two hands caught at her back and shoved her forward. She stumbled into the room, her feet twisting together as she landed on her hands and knees, staring at a patch of red carpet. She slowly raised her head, seeing two feet, continuing upwards to legs clad in what looked like light green pajama bottoms. She sat back on her heels. A pair of arms folded atop bent knees, forehead resting on his arms, long black hair obscuring his face and she found she didn't want him to look at her. She reached out her hand to touch his arm and had to bite back a scream when she couldn't feel him.

"Father?" She whimpered, heard the sound of a heavy door slamming shut somewhere down the hallway and the blond behind her, frantic, "You've found him, now what do we do? Bugger me, the guard is coming!"

She had glanced over her shoulder at the woman who was in the doorway peering down the hall when she heard him speak, "Bren?"

She swallowed hard, turned her head to answer him...

….And her eyes flew open. She sat up in her bed, staring about her room as if she could bring herself back to the dream but all she could see was her dressing table, a lit string of white lights draped over the mirror. Her laptop, silent, the blue on button pulsing softly in the darkness. She turned over to her nightstand, grabbed the pad of paper and pen sitting there. Nala had suggested it after she began to have recurring bad dreams. When she woke from one, she was to write as much detail about it as she could remember. It was all fading so fast. She recalled Chris, the blond woman, a hallway, a body, and most of all, her father but the details were starting to become vague. The woman had talked about a guard. Was she back on Asgard? The hallway looked Midgardian.

Brenna put the pad down on her bed, got up and walked to the window. It was still dark out. She could see rain falling in the lights that shown up at the mansion walls. At least the weather seemed to be holding steady heading for spring.

The feeling of fear in the dream was following her, still in the back of her mind so she sat at her dressing table for a few minutes, considered turning on the laptop, instead taking the envelope from where it leaned against the mirror and drawing out the letter again.

She'd been thrilled when her Uncle Thor had arrived at the school that morning dressed in a nicely tailored suit. He'd stepped out from a black sedan and met her in the foyer where he attracted considerable attention as usual. He'd drawn her into the reception room then, telling her briefly about the dispute with Alfheim and the Jotunns, her parents move to the manor house and her father's reintroduction into the Asgard royal court. He had told her that her father was eager to bring her home and introduce her into Asgardian society. When she had asked him what had happened, he could only shrug, "People change, nothing stays constant, not even in Asgard."

He had given her the letter from her mother then, told her he was expected at Miss Foster's and had taken his leave of her, telling her he hoped she would return home soon.

She leaned forward on her elbows, admiring her mother's wonderful penmanship and the refreshing change from the English alphabet and her lips moved silently as she read,

_My Dearest Lamb,_

_ So much has come to pass since last I wrote you. I grow big with not one but two babies. The midwife in Rialo confirmed this fact so now I shall have two more little ones even as I pine for my firstborn. _(Brenna smiled even as she rolled her eyes) _Cait is trying to walk. You should see Fen holding her hands and walking her about the house while she tries to figure out how the whole process works. You can almost see the wheels in her head turning as she stares at her feet._

_The biggest event by far is our move. We are but a short ride to the city of Asgard. Sally refused to relocate far from Uncle Chris's grave and now lives with Ren in Rialo proper but she sends her love. We are visiting her for a short while. Since the move, our household has swelled to include a personal valet to your father, his name is Hal and his wife Vesta is a new house servant. You remember Silas, the royal guard? His wife Ingrid has been sent to me as a lady in waiting of sorts but in all honesty, we enjoy each others company, knit, bake when we are allowed in the kitchen, play with the children, help Vesta. Ingrid's son, Gunnar, is a fine companion to Fen and as you may well imagine, they find all manner of trouble to get into. She has named her baby daughter after me. It is quite humorous when I turn around only to find she was talking to the baby and not I. And then there is Gretten. He is a churlish old soul, half dwarf but very sweet once one gets to know him. He is our cook and an excellent one at that. _

_ We have been set up in a grand manor house, (too grand for all of me) by your uncle, the King. I know not how, by hook or by crook, that he convinced your father to return to palace life but there it is. Your father is now the royal adviser to your uncle, his title restored. Your brother and sister have been recognized by the High Council and there are developments I dare not write lest the letter be seen by other than yourself. Suffice it to say, there be ample reason to come home. You must be recognized as well. I must leave off for now, your sister demands to be rocked to sleep. I will write more later.._

_ Your father was standing over my shoulder as I endeavored to write. I know the two of you are often at odds but he has changed so much even in the short time since last we visited you. He went on campaign with your uncle to sort out a civil unrest, ended up saving two young lives and stopping a potential war. He told me in the humblest manner but I was so very proud of him and I know you would be as well. He will soon be on his way to Asgard to return to the palace for your uncle and so I must close for now as he will give the letter to your uncle to deliver to you. I will write again soon. I await the day you are among us again._

_ All my love,_

_ Mama. _

Brenna folded the letter and set it back where it had been. The sky outside had started to lighten but it was still early. She crawled back into her bed and lay there, trying to fall back to sleep for a bit longer but it was no use and she was still laying there when the knock came at her door.

Chase peeked around the edge of the door, "Hey baby, you're not up yet?"

Brenna sat up and swung her legs over the floor, "I have been awake for a while, I am just not up."

Chase shut the door behind him and sat down at her desk where he hit the power button on her computer, "Time to rise and shine, breakfast awaits..."

She walked up behind Chase and slipped her arms around his neck. He turned his head and kissed her cheek, "You okay?"

"Fine." She stood up and started to rummage through her dresser drawers for an outfit to wear.

"Fine...why don't I believe you?"

She shrugged, pulled out a couple of t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

"More dreams?"

"What do you think? Should I wear the green Lucky Charms shirt or this plain black one?"

Chase swiveled around in his chair, "I think you should tell me about your dream."

"It was the same dream I have been having. The one about the hallway, nothing more."

She stuffed the black shirt back into the drawer.

"You're sure?"

"I cannot remember." She glanced at her bedside table where the writing tablet lay, mercifully face down.

Chase leaned back in the chair, "The professor told you to write your dreams down."

She walked past him on her way to the bathroom and he caught her hand, "Hey, relax. I won't ask anymore, I promise." He put his forehead to her hand, felt her other hand run through his short hair.

"You do not have to do that. I simply do not recall much of the dream. Now let me get dressed, I am hungry."

Sophie, Brian and Rachel were already at the table in the dining hall when Brenna and Chase arrived. Brenna sat down beside Sophie.

"You guys are late, wow." She looked at her cell phone.

"She wasn't up yet. She had a bad dream and stayed awake half the night." Chase crooked a finger at her as she scowled back at him.

"What kinda bad dreams?" Brian asked, "I has 'em all the time. I mean I gots good ones too like the other night. I dreamed I could fly. I'se in the middle of a battle, picking up bad guys, throwing 'em in this big oversized dumpster. Oh, oh then there was another one where I was kissing on Beyonce..ow!" Rachel had punched him in the arm, "Geez baby, it was only a dream. Y'all know you the woman for me."

"It was the hallway dream again. The same one I have had for two weeks now."

Sophie nodded, "I've had dreams like that where I go back to the same place over and over again. I often wonder if it's a real place or all in my head."

"Oh? What does the place look like?"

Sophie colored slightly, "It's silly...but I bet at least three times a month I dream about this abandoned theme park. Always the same park and always I walk up to this big roller coaster. The bars on the cars come up and I think I'm supposed to get in but I can never make myself and then I wake up."

"Maybe it represents the fact you're always afraid to take chances." Chase pointed a fork at her.

"So you think when I'm brave enough to get on the roller coaster, I'll get brave in real life?"

"Won't know till you try, girl." Brian nodded, "Every action gots a equal and opposite reaction."

"Well I've never been able to make myself get on it. How can you force yourself to do something in your dreams?" Sophie took a sip of her coffee, "Okay besides Artie...I mean how can someone who doesn't have that power manipulate their own dreams?"

Brenna listened to them debate back and forth but her mind was still on her own dream and her mother's letter, finally she spoke up, "I think I am going home."

They all paused and turned to her. "What?"

"I think I am going home for the summer. During the break you have talked about."

Chase had an incredulous look on his face, "And you decided this when?"

"This morning when I was lying abed. I had read my mother's letter again and I just felt so homesick."

"But you said you wanted to take some extra classes over the summer so you could be sure you were ready for the next year."

Chase sounded shaken and she felt bad for breaking the news to him in front of everyone, "I know but my mother has told me she is likely expecting twins. I know Helgi is getting no younger and Fen is a boy. Plus she has Cait to take care of. I know she would have help but an extra pair of hands would be wonderful, and we have moved as well. My father is now busy with my uncle, the King."

"Yo daddy is working with the god of thunder now? Outta the park. Family reunions has gotta be sick." Brian laughed.

"Going home." Chase put his head in his hands, "Wow."

"Chase, please do not be upset. I have been gone so long. It is not as if I will not come back."

"What if your parents don't let you though. What if they think once you're back they can make you stay?"

She looked about the table, "They will let me return. They would have taken me home long before this if they had wanted to."

She put her hand on Chase's thigh and squeezed, "I promise I will come back and I am as good as my word."

"I hope so," Sophie leaned over and put her arm around Brenna's shoulders, "You're like my best friend so I'd just have to swallow my fear and visit you in Asgard."

"Hey, maybe that's the dream! When you visit her in Asgard, y'all will be able to finally get on the roller coaster." Brian clapped his hands together, "I got this, take that Freud!"

"I will come back," She patted Sophie's arm, "I could never leave this place for good. You, all of you are part of my family now. I promise I will return to this school, to Midgard."

The woman pulled over to the side of the road and whistled, "I take it your friend has money."

Loki smiled, "Indeed he does." he looked at the large iron gates open wide leading down a paved driveway. The name on the walls surrounding the property read simply, "Wells" with the number "1227" beneath it in large copper numbers which had turned verdigris with the atmosphere.

"Well at least he can help get your car towed. What a time to forget your cell phone."

Loki opened the door, toying with the idea of telling her what he was truly there for, after all there would be nothing she could do, nothing anyone could do. By the time she were to tell anybody what had happened, this man would be long dead and he would be back on Asgard with Brenna safe and sound, however, he merely nodded to her, "I cannot thank you enough for the ride. I am sure he is wondering where I am."

He closed the door to the small blue sedan and with a wave watched the woman drive off. He looked down the paved drive through the trees which still wore the browns of early spring to match the forest floor, then felt at his thigh beneath the jacket of his suit for his dagger, clutching the hilt once for reassurance as he walked between the pillars towards the mansion which he could just glimpse at the end of the driveway.

Leroy felt antsy though he kept the fact to himself. No need to worry Potter. Something just wasn't right. He glanced at the monitors before him but they were empty. David had gotten the phone call from his friend Rutledge yesterday to say the letter had been delivered but personally he wondered just how fast David expected this mystery woman to get here. He hadn't even said where she was coming from.

The day was overcast and gray. He looked at the computer screen. Almost lunch time. Then he cast a glance at Potter who sat in his chair playing on his cell phone. "I'm gonna call out for chinese in a few minutes."

Potter nodded, " 'kay, I can order it right here on my phone ya know."

"Okay, find the closest place."

Potter looked up, "There's a good one on Elmer street...hey!"

Leroy saw Potter pointing to the screen, "Who's that?"

Leroy sat up and stared at the tall figure striding towards the front door of the mansion, "Hell if I know, it don't look like no woman I ever saw. Hold on." He reached towards a small box on the desk and pressed the button, "Mister Wells, we got company but you might wanna come see. I don't think it's the company you were expecting."

He got no response and was ready to head upstairs to the front door when David burst through the door of the observation room and up to the computer screen.

"What the fuck did Martin do!" he cried, "What the actual FUCK!" David stood up, ran his fingers through his hair, "Okay we're going to stick with the plan." The last thing he was going to do was tell them who was standing on the doorstep at the moment. "You both have what you need?"

Leroy opened a small case on the desk and took out one syringe, "One should do it don't you think?"

"Bring them both."

Loki stared at the lit button, thought of pressing it, then turning the handles of the heavy oak double doors was glad to find them unlocked. He pushed them open ever so slowly though he didn't step inside, not yet. He looked into the dim foyer at a dark wood staircase curving to the second floor, a small table in the crook with a lit lamp. He stood still, listening for movement, his hand at the ready as he stepped through the doorway.

Leroy watched the shadow of the man move, darken as he entered the foyer. He had told Potter to take him down first though he had his doubts Potter was going to be of any help. Leroy turned his head to see David a few feet behind him, rage furrowing his brow. He returned his attention to the man emerging into view. He was tall, thin and Leroy had to suppress a laugh. It was going to be too easy to take him down. He was almost worried he'd hurt him when the man turned his head to the right and began to crouch as if ready to pounce. He'd heard something, he'd heard Potter. Leroy had to draw him the other way so Potter would have a shot.

Leroy kicked the door beside him just as Potter came around the door opposite. The man had turned at the sound Leroy made but he was quick and twisted about just as Potter was bringing the hand holding the syringe around to connect with the man's arm. The man caught Potter's arm, twisting it around until Potter yelped in pain, dropping the syringe. The man drew him close, gripping the front of his shirt, throwing him backwards into the table which collapsed, throwing the foyer into gray light as the lamp shattered. The man strode towards Potter who lay on the floor moaning, stepping on the vial as he went. He reached down and took Potter's head in his hands as Potter started to scream, the man's voice calm, flat, "Tell me where my daughter is." As Potter's screams continued, the man seemed to grow more agitated but before Leroy could leave his hiding spot, the man turned Potters head swiftly to the left and his screaming stopped as if he'd been shut off.

As the man stood, began to turn, Leroy ran towards him, syringe at the ready. Before was able to come around any further, Leroy buried the needle into his arm, pushing the plunger down at the same time. An arm caught him across the chest and he was propelled across the foyer like Potter had been, hitting the floor with the realization that this man had to be a mutant. He was much too strong for a man his size but as soon as this thought entered his head, the man was atop him, struggling for something at his side. Leroy grabbed his arms and held on for his life because he was pretty sure if he let go it would cost him just that.

Loki felt the sting of whatever the big man had hit him with and had retaliated with the blow to his chest. As he dropped down onto the man's chest, he groped for the hilt of his dagger, missed, felt again, found it. Suddenly he was aware that his hand wasn't obeying him. He couldn't make his fingers close around the dagger. He roared aloud, trying to bring his other hand up to the big man's throat but couldn't break free of his grip. His mind was starting to cloud, he was getting dizzy, tired, he was losing control of his body. His head had begun to buzz. With the last burst of strength, he broke one arm free, his hand closing around the man's throat as his eyes drifted shut and he slumped forward.

Leroy shoved the man off him to the floor, then he stood up and ran over to Potter even though he knew the man was dead. "You coulda warned us this guy was a dangerous mutant."

David walked over to Loki's body, "Well he isn't dangerous now. We'll come back and take care of Mister Potter. I'll grab the extra syringes. Right now we have to get this man to Forest Hill before he wakes up."

Leroy stood with a last look at Potter, "So who the hell is this guy?"

"Suffice it to say this is the girl's father, and a bigger problem by far than her mother would have been. Get him to the car, I'll be right out."

As David walked down the steps to the basement he wondered if he shouldn't have told Leroy to shoot at him were he to come awake even though it would do no good. Honestly, he hadn't been sure even the syringes would work but they had. He was going to have to work quickly, and he was going to have to call Martin back and thank him. He would have liked to have done it personally. He had other ways of showing his appreciation for Martin's screw up as his thoughts drifted to the scared little woman in the cell at the hospital. He grabbed the syringes, trotted back up the stairs. As he passed Potter's body, he gave a salute, closed the door behind him and locked it, then slid into the passenger seat of the black Escalade. "Let's go."


	66. Chapter 66

Leroy waited until Doctor Wells unlocked the door of the old service entrance before he leaned into the back seat of the Escalade and hauled the body of the mystery man over his shoulder.

Up a short flight of stairs and through another door and they were in the special projects corridor, Leroy following David until he stopped at a door to his left and opened it to reveal one of the metal plated rooms. "In here."

The room was spartan, with a plain blue carpeting, a cot and a small bathroom about the size of a hall closet set into one corner. Leroy lay the man on the cot, "Now what?"

David waved Leroy aside, "We set the bait." He studied the man's hands but they bore no rings. He opened the lapels of his jacket, watching carefully for any signs that he might be waking up, felt the inner pocket and pulled out the letter written in Martin's hand. Martin had delivered the letter though David couldn't read what he'd written. He handed it to Leroy, checked the other pocket but found nothing, then he saw the rawhide string at his neck. He reached into his shirt and drew out a round doughnut shaped stone that looked like an opal, drawing it over his head and holding it up in the beam of one of the recessed ceiling lights watching it glitter as it twirled about.

"I think this might work." David stuffed the necklace in his coat pocket, looked back down at Loki and it was then he saw the tip of the scabbard poking out from the bottom edge of the jacket. David lifted the jacket away to reveal a scabbard strapped to his right thigh. He admired the leatherworking for a moment, the intertwined snakes, the scrollwork. Then he drew the dagger from the hilt.

"Exquisite." The blade felt well balanced, its length compensating for the ornate hilt. "Unstrap the scabbard from his leg."

Leroy frowned as he reached between his thighs and started to unbuckle the straps, expecting at any minute to end up like Potter, however, nothing save the man's chest moved up and down with his even breathing.

"When you gonna tell me exactly who he is?" Leroy handed the scabbard to David.

David slid the dagger back into place, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me." Leroy crossed his massive arms before him.

David grinned, "Alright, there on the cot before you is the man responsible for the attack on Manhattan."

Leroy chuckled, "You're right, Doc. I don't believe you."

David nodded, "I didn't think you would but I'm going to give you a warning. If I were you, I'd keep a syringe on me at all times..." David held up the scabbard, "Just in case I'm right."

Leroy looked at the man on the cot, "Oh I will, Mama didn't raise no fool."

David glanced at his watch, "I want him kept sedated. I'm going to need to reason with him before he really comes to. Follow me, we've got him monitored. There's more to do."

The first sensation he was aware of was pain centered in his right arm, then thirst. His mouth was paper dry. He tried to open his eyes but the effort was too much at first. He reached out, wincing at the soreness as the muscles tensed, searching for Eidra, wanting to pull her closer to him. His hand found only air, then the hard metal of a bar. He forced himself to open his eyes, found he was staring at a pair of trousers. He felt cool air caress the skin of his arm and then the prick and a burning sensation. He made to move his arm, angry at the intrusion but it felt as if his limbs were weighted down by stone.

The voice above him was muffled, "We'll let that work for a few minutes." as he drifted back down into the realm between sleep and consciousness...

….until he was standing at the edge of a cliff, staring down into a crater lake. From his height, he could make out color variations in the water where it grew deeper. A rushing roar drowned out all other sound and he turned his head to the left where some distant there was a great waterfall hurrying over the precipice upon which he now stood. On the shore of the lake, far below, he could see his brother waving to him, cupping his hands to his mouth and shouting something. He didn't need to hear him to know Thor was yelling at him to jump. It was water after all, what damage could it do? A dare was a dare and he was determined to brave it out. He backed up from the edge a bit, then a bit more. He had to propel himself out over the deeper part of the water.

Then he was running, the void approaching fast and with one great push he was out over the water, dropping fast, flailing his arms to stay upright. When he hit the surface of the water, it was as if he'd jumped onto rock. Blinding pain shot through his right femur and when the water closed over his head, so too did the darkness...

….and he opened his eyes again. He was staring at a dark metal ceiling. He tried to raise himself on his elbows, but slid back down to the pillow, heard the creak of a chair and turned his head to see a man he didn't know sitting beside the cot.

"The ancients used to believe that the heart was the seat of power, of conscious thought." The man was leaning forward now. "But we now know that the heart is the seat of weakness. Control the mind and you control the body. Control the heart and you control the soul. Life's greatest love stories have all been tragedies, Romeo and Juliet, Tristan and Isolde, weakness borne of the love of a man and a woman, the true greats however, have been borne of the love of a parent for their child. The greatest sacrifices have been made in the name of our progeny."

The man had taken something out of his pocket and was holding it up to the light to look at it while he struggled to regain control of his body. He slid his right hand beneath the covers to his thigh but felt nothing, not even the scabbard, only the fabric of the cotton hospital scrubs.

The man had seen him moving and smiled. "I removed your dagger long before you woke up. In fact, I've taken everything that would define you as anything more than another patient."

His hand grasped convulsively at his chest and he was suddenly seized with the urge to leap into this man's lap and tear out his throat, would have if he'd been able to move.

"This I would keep in mind for future reference because as it stands right now to my orderlies that's all you are, just another sad psychotic whose case I've taken over."

"Who are you?" He was finally able to croak.

"Doesn't matter, what does matter is what I need from you that I've already managed to obtain."

He watched the man tap the long vial pointed upwards at the ceiling, "When next you wake up, your daughter will have come to me because of you. I don't want to hurt her, in fact I want to use her talents for good. I know that's hard to believe right now in your situation. I want her help to cure a disease that's become rampant in our society and I want her to do it willingly." The man raised the sleeve of his shirt, "I repeat, I don't want to hurt her but if you decide you're going to try any heroics, I will be forced to retaliate, however I promise if you behave, nothing will happen to her."

He wanted to scream, tear the man apart, felt the man's hand on his arm just before he drifted back into the darkness..

Brenna sat on her bed where she'd dropped moments earlier, not trusting her legs to do their job. Grace had come around that morning with the mail, dropping it in the little holder tacked onto the front of the door, Brenna taking the mail and tossing it onto her desk as she headed to breakfast. The letter had lain there all day, untouched until she'd come back to her room after evening meal to fetch her laptop. She had intended to return to Chase's room so they could do homework together, recalling the letter as she'd packed some papers in her laptop case.

Brenna had shaken her head as she had opened the letter. Neither the name nor the address, somewhere in the state of Maine apparently, was familiar but the subject of the photograph therein nearly caused her to scream aloud. The last time she had seen the Uruz, her father had been placing it in her hand and yet there it was on a table, alone. It never left his presence otherwise, being his most precious possession.

Then there was the typed letter and another smaller envelope along with it. She'd opened the smaller envelope first, taking out a Metro card and a small slip of paper with numbered instructions written on it, then she'd unfolded the letter and started to read it. She'd set the little Metro card on the coverlet and now she picked it back up, the words of the letter running through her head. "Come alone, or you will find your father beyond even your help." And the address, someplace called Tarrytown. At first she'd considered going straight to Miss Munro. Then she'd thought of the Uruz, what it would take to remove it from her father's neck in the first place and she could scarce draw breath. What if he was already hurt? Once more, she read the letter.

_Brenna,_

_ It has come to my attention that you have something I need. You have a unique talent, the ability to heal whatever you touch. I have been searching long for someone such as yourself. However, I am aware no matter how great your power may be, you're limited to where you can go and what you can do. Thus I will give you the incentive to break the rules. You can help me affect great changes, you can be a cure for a terrible disease of which I have been a victim. It is, of course, your choice but I am certain you will do the right thing. At the moment, your father is safe but know this, I am desperate. You will take the Metro card to the nearest MTA station called Croton Falls. There you will follow the instructions listed with the card. Tell no one where you are going. Let no one see you leave. Come alone, or you will find your father beyond even your help._

There was no signature at the end, not so much as a set of initials. She folded the letter again and stared hard at the picture as if somehow she could see where it was. Finally, she took the letter, lay it on the dresser then walked to the window overlooking the lake behind the school. The sun was starting to set. She had promised she would meet Chase in the rec room for movie night but now she had to think up a lie to tell him. If she were to join him and try to sit still through the movie until bedtime with what was going through her head, he would know something was wrong. She pulled her phone from her jeans pocket and started to dial his number, all the while looking at the photograph in her hand.

Chase answered the phone in a good mood, she was sorry to break it, "What's up?"

"I am not feeling well, I am going to lay down for a while."

"How are you not feeling well?"

Brenna had started to play with a lock of her hair, glad that she wasn't talking to him in person. When she had something to hide, something that made her nervous, she would always start to fiddle aimlessly whether with a lock of hair or a cup, a pen, paper. Chase always caught it, always knew.

"My stomach again."

"I told you the dessert was going to upset you. Too much artificial crap. You want me to come up and sit with you?"

"No, I will probably try and sleep it off."

"Are you sure? I could bring a movie with me. We could lay on the bed and watch it on your laptop."

Brenna wanted nothing more in the world than to do so, "No, I would be asleep before the movie started. I will call you a bit later when I wake up."

"Okay, you're sure though?"

"Yes, my love."

She knew he adored her endearments, "Alright, call me when you wake up, promise?"

"I will."

She hung up the phone, setting it on her nightstand, then walked to her desk and started up her laptop. Chase had shown her one day how to look up a place on a map. When the search bar appeared, her fingers hovered over the keys, she typed "Croton Falls train station" then hit enter.

She lay there staring at the clock on her nightstand, reached for it, turning off the alarm two minutes early. The bright red LED readout said eleven twenty-eight p.m. She slipped on her boots, pulled her backpack from under her bed. She'd packed after she'd talked to Chase. A pair of jeans, a t-shirt, the orange she'd saved from dinner and another taste she'd acquired on Midgard, a Hershey bar were all she'd bothered with. The letter she'd stuffed into the inside pocket of her winter jacket. If she needed to run or fight for any reason, she would need something that was easy to toss off. She fervently wished she'd had a weapon she could take with her but all she could find of any heft was the flashlight Miss Munro had given her to use during a power outage one evening at the school. She donned her winter jacket, took the flashlight slipped it in the jacket pocket and slowly cracked open the door to her quarters. She glanced up and down the hallway listening, watching. Except for a few faraway voices, the hallway was still. She shut her door gently, wondering perhaps if she would never hear that sound again and she had to bite her lip to stem the tears that threatened to turn her feet once again towards Miss Munro's office.

Instead, she headed to the staircase down to the first landing where she stopped to make sure she would not be seen. The reception room was dark as was the hallway to the dining room. Only the central shaded light illuminated the foyer. She trotted down the stairs and opened the front door, slipping out into the cool darkness. Spring was here for sure but the night air was still cold, her breath ghosted in the tungsten glow of the outdoor lights as she stared down the long lamplit drive winding through the trees. Reluctantly, she let go of the doorknob, patted her jacket pocket where the letter and its contents crinkled beneath her fingers, then started off around the circular drive, down the road leading away from the mansion.

When she'd reached the main road, she'd turned left and started walking, staying far from the shoulder and the cars that streamed by her on the way to their destination. She'd felt the urge to turn back almost immediately, forcing each step. She hadn't felt so alone since the day she'd arrived at Grand Central station, realizing now how very safe she felt within the confines of the school surrounded by her friends. Though she'd learned enough of Midgard she could fit into society reasonably well, she'd not been on her own. As a large tractor trailer passed her, driving her further off the road with a honk, she decided she'd had enough, she was cold and alone, scared, it was dark. She would call Chase, have him come get her, then they would go to Miss Munro with the letter. She slid her hand into the right pocket of her jeans. No phone. She checked her left pocket and backed further away from the road. She'd left her phone back at the school. It had been sitting on the nightstand. She'd meant to grab it when she left but she'd been so nervous it had slipped her mind.

She turned around and started at a quick walk back to the school, turning her face away each time an oncoming car flooded her with light. She hadn't made it very far when another car approached her and she turned away once more only to see the lights become brighter and brighter still. She heard the gravel crunch a short ways ahead of her and she looked up to see a white van parked along the side of the road, facing her. She held her hand up to shield her eyes, heard a door shut and the silhouette of a tall man stepped in front of the headlights waving to her.

At once she knew she was in trouble, someone had seen her leave the school. They had come looking for her. She started towards the van hoping it wasn't Professor Summers. He'd be lecturing her until morning. She advanced a few more steps until the voice called out to her and she froze.

"Hello, your name is Brenna, yes?"

The accent was strange but not unfamiliar. The man sounded like Mister Rasputin, a school alumni and frequent visitor but he hadn't been to the school in a couple of months. She watched the strange man close in upon her, "Brenna?"

She nodded, unable to speak as she began to back away.

"I won't hurt you."

But she kept backing away from him until her heel hit uneven ground causing her to stumble backwards. At once the stranger was at her elbow, steadying her, "Ah see, I save you from yourself."

He was close enough now for her to see his face.

"A fire giant?" She tried to pull her arm from his grasp but he held firm as he laughed.

"Fire giant? You make joke at my expense?"

She shook her head, felt him start to guide her towards the van. She dug her heels into the dirty grass of the shoulder, trying to pry his fingers free. She wanted to scream but could only gasp, "Ah..Ah!" as they reached the side of the van and she heard the door slide open.

"Hurry up, damnit." Came a voice from the dark interior. "Couldn't you just spirit her away or whatever it is you do? Be a lot faster."

"Is always the solution?" He muttered something in a different language, lifting her from the ground towards a pair of arms which took hold of her and pulled her inside. It was then, faced with the dark, barren interior and the two strangers when instinct kicked in and she screamed, propelling herself out of the van to sprawl onto the ground. She scrambled to her feet, racing for the woods along the side of the road expecting to hear footsteps fast behind her, heavy breathing. She looked over her shoulder at the van still parked by the side of the road, felt two arms wrap around her and she was suddenly back inside the van, the last words she heard before the doors slid shut and she lost her grip on consciousness.

"There, is better?"

"It was a lot quicker." a chuckle.

"Idiot."


	67. Chapter 67

Thunk! Her head bounced off the floor of the van and her eyes flew open though all she could see in the dim overhead light were a pair of ratty blue high top sneakers and the hems of black pants draped over the tongues. She closed her eyes again and lay as still as she could, listening to the chatter back and forth.

"Tell me again why you couldna done the same thing in the school? Too far for ya?"

Deep rich laughter, "Our orders are no photograph, no video. I am good but still I can be seen so we let girl come to us. If I wanted, I could, what you call it?...spirit you to Siberia."

"You must save a bundle on airfare."

More laughter, louder this time, "Keep in mind when your mouth work faster than head. Say to yourself, where could I end up?"

"Now that's not funny."

She heard no response as Sneakers kept talking, "How much farther we got to go? I gotta take a piss."

"Don't know. Half hour maybe. You will have to cross your legs."

"Fuck you!"

"I know where is bathroom in Irkutsk."

Silence then as she felt the van grind to a halt and idle, accelerating again a minute later. She peered through slitted eyes at Sneaker's ankles. Could she do it? Could she grab his leg, find an old injury quickly enough to leap out of the van and escape while he was screaming in pain? She highly doubted it. She was extremely agitated, frightened. If she couldn't focus, she wouldn't be able to so much as give him a hangnail. Still if the chance were there she would try.

"And after we drop her off, we all finished? I got a vacation I wanna finish in Aruba."

"Lazy. Vacation from what. You lie around penthouse all day, eat Eric out of house. Bah! Maybe he give you vacation to save on food bill."

"Paul!" Sneakers shouted, "Can we pull over at the next gas station?"

From the front of the van came a reply, "You fucking kidding me? We're on a schedule. I already called and told them we're on our way. We turn up late and they're gonna start asking questions. What's your problem?"

"I gotta piss."

"I told you to lay off the goddamn coffee."

The van was silent for a while then she heard the driver hit the turn signal, felt a jolt. The van slowed to a stop and jerked forward as the driver slid it into park. "Five minutes."

"I won't take thirty seconds, Jesus i'm not gonna play with it."

She heard the van door slide open and slam shut. She knew the other stranger, the one who'd grabbed her and teleported her into the van, was watching her. She could almost physically feel his eyes wandering along her body.

"What's so special about this chick?" It was Paul the driver, his voice sounded louder as if he was turned around facing her. She didn't have half a chance of succeeding in what she was planning but she couldn't bear not even making the effort.

"Cannot tell you."

"You'd have to kill me right?"

"Yes."

A pause then a nervous giggle, "You're pretty funny."

"Was not joke."

She heard the van door slide open again then slam shut. As soon as she saw Sneaker's leg, her hand shot out and she wrapped her fingers around his ankle. She heard him yelp as she let her mind race through his body, arms, legs, feet, hands, to his head, his mouth where she found an old tooth that had been bonded after it had been cracked, probably in a fight.

Sneakers was about to raise his other foot and kick her in the face when he screeched, his hand flying to his mouth as he flopped over onto the bench seat of the van and Brenna was on her feet. Her hands grasped the handle of the van door, throwing it open to the gas station parking lot. Her foot hovered over the pavement, her knee had started to bend when the hand clamped around her mouth, hauling her back inside and heaving her to the floor where she heard the door slam shut again. Sneakers was still screaming into his hands as she was thrown onto her back, her arms pinned to the rough carpet while the stranger hovered over her and she finally caught a good look at him. She felt the van start to accelerate as she began to scream along with Sneakers, trying to free her hands and lash out at the demon scowling down at her with oddly familiar golden eyes.

"Garrett, shut up and fetch rope." He snarled.

Sneakers, whom she surmised was Garrett, was still moaning, crying, "My fucking toof, liddle bitch."

"Get rope, or I let her loose on you again!" The demon shouted. A coil of rope landed on her chest and the demon turned to him, "Come down here, help me turn girl over and tie hands!"

"I'm not getting' near her." She watched Garrett slide further down the bench, felt the demon's hands tighten on her wrists.

"You want I should tell Eric you do not help me? Maybe he remove fillings. How many you got in ugly head?"

Garrett dropped to his knees beside her, "Turn her over, fuck me."

She was flipped onto her stomach, her cheek grinding into the carpeting as Garrett put his palm against the side of her face. She tried to flail her arms, find purchase on the demon's body but he was deft, avoiding her hands as he wound the rope around them and cinched it tight.

Garrett gave her head a shove as he sat back on the bench and the demon flipped her over onto her back. "You should have kept still, girl. This is not better I think."

She glared at him as she struggled to turn to her side, eventually giving up in frustration as each bump on the road put her onto her back again and again. She lay there looking back and forth at Garrett and the demon until she could stand it no longer, "Are you taking me to this town called Tarry?"

Garrett burst out in a laugh that turned into a groan, "Town called Tarry...too fucking funny."He put his hand to his jaw, massaging the sore tooth.

"Is Tarrytown, and yes, we take you there." The demon was looking to his right out through the front windshield, "Soon now."

She kept her gaze fixed on the demon, "Is my father well?"

The demon looked down at her, "I do not know who is father."

For one terrifying moment, she felt sick terror grip her. Had she been led away based on a lie? Then she recalled the picture again and heard Paul the driver.

"She means the guy the Doctor was talking about."

The demon sat back in his seat, "I hear him say he captured a god. Is your father?"

She felt the tears start to roll down her temples, too tired to protest, "Yes, he is well then?"

"I do not know from well." He smiled, "But I know gods, how come man is able to trap him?"

She sniffed and the demon leaned over, trying to wipe at her tears. She squirmed out of his reach and he chuckled, "You are strong girl, brave. You sure you not Russian?"

"I am Asgardian!" She swallowed hard, her throat clicked, "I am a princess, my uncle is King."

"Where the hell is Asgard? The only kings and queens I know about are in Europe." Garrett sneered.

"Read book once in a while, look up Norse myth." the Demon nodded at her.

"A myth is a made up story right?" Garrett nudged her with his foot. If she'd been able to reach him, she would have bitten his leg.

"Is Thor made up?"

"That guy with the hammer from New York? Well I guess not..."

"Then is not story."

Garrett frowned as the van started to slow. She felt it turn. The sounds of other traffic faded away until all she could hear was the hum of the tires beneath her. Finally the van stopped and Paul jerked it into park.

The demon reached down, patting her shoulder, "We are here."

She was sat upright and pushed to the open van door where she was pulled to her feet. She stared up at the mansion which they were parked in front of. It wasn't near to the scale of the school but it was big. She heard the burbling of water to her right, turned her head to see a fountain in the center of the circular drive where she now stood. It was in the shape of a woman pouring water from a ewer into the cup of a young boy at her feet. At once her thoughts strayed to the fountain in the arboretum at the palace until she felt the hand on her arm. She was guided away from the van and up the stairs, between the tall white columns to the front door. The demon turned the handle and they walked in, greeted by a tall pale blond man with light blue eyes.

"Adam, tell Doctor package has arrived."

Adam regarded Brenna then smirked. With a slight bow he waved them into sitting room off the foyer to their right. "Wait here."

The demon brought her to a sofa and sat her down, "Rest, has been long night for you."

She looked about the room. Everything seemed so familiar, as if she'd seen in a picture before. She eased back into the cushions. The demon was right, she was exhausted, the excitement of the evening had completely worn her out.

"What time is it?" Garrett scanned the room for a clock.

"Is nearly one in the morning."

"Way past my bedtime."

She heard swift footsteps clicking on the tiled floor of the foyer, looking up to see a handsome man in a black turtleneck and blue jeans striding towards her. It took her no longer than a fraction of a second to recognize the man standing at Chase's side in the family picture atop the dresser in his room.

"Welcome to my home."

Her bottom lip began to tremble. She knew she was on the verge of what Sophie called a meltdown, "Why?" she cried, "Why have you done this?"

David sat on the couch beside her as she tried to wriggle away from him, "Azazel please untie her for me. This is no way to treat a guest."

The demon shrugged, bent her forward and began to untie her, "Is your problem."

"Don't worry, she's going to behave. She doesn't have much choice."

Brenna shoulders ached with the release of tension, her arms felt like rubber.

"There, that's better. After all how can you show me what miracles you can work with your hands behind your back."

Brenna jumped up from the couch and whirled to face him, "Where is my father?!"

David smiled, "Safe."

She heard footsteps behind her. A large man in a tan short sleeve shirt and pants approached on her left. He stood with his hands on his hips, his movement catching the light glinting off his badge.

"Leroy here has been watching over him."

She looked at Leroy who smiled at her and she shivered, "I want to see him."

"And you will." David stood up, "All you have to do is indulge me."

Brenna watched him circle her, "I do not ken."

David's smile slipped a bit, "Perhaps I should explain why I wanted you to come to me. Here, sit down again."

He gestured to the sofa but she remained in place, "I wish to stand."

"Very well," David let himself down to the cushions, "I am the director of a large psychiatric hospital but I'm sure Chase has already told you that. For years I have studied and treated people, searched for a cure for diseases and genetic anomalies of the brain. I've seen those people born with a whole range of mental and physical defects from autism to schizophrenia, sociopaths, psychopaths, now there's one right up your alley."

Brenna stared at him silent so he continued.

"Some of the afflicted were vibrant, full of life. People who made a difference in society, in the world. Some never had a chance to become anything more than a victim of their condition."

Here she saw him pause as if trying to control his emotions and when he spoke again, his voice had a hoarse edge to it, "Such was the fate of someone very close to me. I tried all I could to help her but she died in a tragic accident."

"The girl on TV." Brenna whispered.

David was visibly shaken, "She was so much more than that." He stood back up. "I didn't want to see her end up as just another victim on the five o' clock news but it seemed that was just what was going to happen." He came to Brenna, put his hands on her shoulders, "Until Chase told me about you."

Brenna wrenched out of his grasp, "Does he know what you are doing?"

"No," David walked over and picked up a picture from the mantle of a large marble fireplace that covered one wall. "He's not involved." David turned to her, "But you are. You hold the key to unlock the future. If you can cure diseases like schizophrenia, sociopathy, autism, we could become famous."

"You could become rich." Garrett added and David scowled at him, "It isn't always about the money! Is it Azazel."

Azazel's golden eyes slid to Garrett then back to them and Brenna understood why he'd seemed so familiar.

"You have eyes like Professor Wagner."

Azazel was about to speak but broke into a belly laugh, winking at her, "Is secret, do not ask do not tell, eh?" Then he nodded to David, "No, is not always about money. But money help."

David turned back to Brenna, "It is about making sure others don't suffer like I have."

"And so you hurt people to reach your goal. It does not work this way."

David chuckled, "I do what I have to and if I have to threaten and cajole to make my dream come true. I will do that and more. Now tell me can you do what I ask?"

She shook her head and his smile was gone, "I do not know if I can cure a disease. All I can do is heal." She smiled for the first time since she'd started out from the school as she looked at Garrett, "Or unheal."

Garrett winced, gave her the finger but David nodded, "First things first, let us see you heal."

"No." She backed away from him as his outstretched hand curled into a fist.

"I thought we wouldn't have to do this the hard way. I was so hoping I could convince you to help me just on principle alone. I mean how wonderful would it be if you could help someone whose mind isn't working correctly?"

"I told you, I do not know if I can do what you ask."

"Well how do you know if you won't try?" David crooked a finger at Garrett who stepped forward. "Tell me Garrett, what happened in the van?"

"The bitch.."

David held up his hand and Garrett growled, "The girl...cracked the tooth I got bonded a while back when she grabbed my arm."

David turned to Brenna, "Tsk, they should have kept a better watch on you. Re-heal his tooth."

Brenna shook her head, "I will do no such thing. I want to see my father."

David sighed, long and loud as he put his hand on Garrett's shoulder, "I'm sorry about that, Garrett."

He backed away from Garrett. Brenna watched him reach into the front of his jeans, draw a pistol, aim at Garrett and pull the trigger. Garrett let out a choked cry that was swiftly overpowered by Brenna's high pitched screams. She backed away from the young man clutching at the hole in his chest as his blood poured out onto the varnished hardwood floor, colliding with Azazel who was watching the scene with indifference.

"Heal him, Brenna, hurry!" David cried, pointing at the fast failing Garrett.

She could only scream, over and over. David was now inches from her face, "Heal him! You're going to let him die? Heal him!"

It was then that her bladder let loose and she slid down Azazel's legs to the floor, sobbing into her hands, crying, "No! No!"

David bent down and took her face roughly in his hands, shaking it, "Heal him!" looked over to Garrett who'd grown still, then back at Brenna, shoving her face from his hands as she crumpled into a heap.

"Take her to the van." David waved to Leroy who for all he'd seen in his time with the hospital was now standing there open mouthed. "Don't worry about him."

David turned to Azazel, "We'll be right behind you in the Escalade." He glanced at Garrett's body, "Now I'll have to have the floor refinished."

Leroy had lifted Brenna to her feet, supporting her as he half carried her into the foyer.

"How long will it take him to regenerate?"

Azazel shrugged, "Do not know. Half hour? You not cut off arm or leg, you blow hole in chest."

David rubbed his chin, "He's come back from a bad injury like this right?"

Azazel seesawed his hand in the air, "Ya, pretty bad."

"Grab him and put him in the back of the Escalade. The last thing I want is for the girl to lose her mind staring at a corpse."

Azazel frowned as he stooped to haul Garrett's body over his shoulder, "Great, blood on my good suit. I will send you cleaning bill."

David opened the door, catching Adam's stare from the dining room, "Get that mopped up. I'll be back."

Once outside, he walked to the driver's side window of the white van where Paul sat watching as Leroy lifted Brenna into the back of the van. "Follow us."

Paul nodded, "Where are we heading?"

"To Forest Hills. I've got some persuading to do."


	68. Chapter 68

Thirst was what woke him, thirst and the infernal low pitched hum that filled the room, invading his mind, making it hard to concentrate. He sat up in the cot, discovering his equilibrium was off only when he caught himself with a hand on the floor as he pitched to his left. He dropped out of the cot onto his hands and knees, peering about the room. He felt filthy, worn out like he'd been sick with the fever. He sat back on his heels, then spying the food tray near the door a moment before he smelled the food upon it.

His heart started to pound. He could see the tall bottle of water, condensation sliding down its sides. He held onto the cot, pushing himself to his feet, dropping just as quickly back to his knees as the waves of vertigo hit him. Finally he crawled to the tray and snatched the water bottle from it as if it would disappear ere he waited any longer.

He sat back against the wall beside the door and unscrewed the cap, pouring the water into his mouth. A rivulet of ice cold water ran from the corner of his mouth down his neck and onto his chest as he drained the bottle, shuddering at the horrid plastic aftertaste he would never get used to. Still it was cold and wet. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back to the metal wall to catch his breath before he turned his attention back to the red tray.

He'd hardly been able to stomach the Midgardian food in the hospital when Cait was born. He was sure the hamburger and french fries sitting there on the plate was more of the same quality but he'd not eaten since...

Loki sat forward, staring at the carpet. Since when? How long had he been asleep, unconscious? Hours, days? Eidra must be wondering where he had gotten off to by now. He looked back at the food on the tray and was startled as a voice filled the room.

"Go ahead, eat. It's not poisoned."

He looked about the room, trying to determine where the voice was coming from, "It may as well be. Midgardian food is little better than the leavings I feed my pigs."

The door to his left slid open to the sound of laughter as the man who'd visited him before, stepped in. He was immediately on his guard but the man simply walked to his cot and sat down upon it.

"You need to keep your strength up, that's what's running through your mind right now."

Loki stared at the man who grinned, stood back up and held out his hand to him, "Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Doctor David Wells, director of this facility in which you now reside. I know your memory might be a bit fuzzy from the last time we met."

He tried to recall how he'd come to be in this room, his anger building each time he couldn't get past opening the door to... He clenched his fists...to where?

"The anaesthetics will sometimes do that to you, blow holes in your memory. The valium in your water is a bit gentler than that."

Loki continued to stare, willing himself to ignore the gnawing hunger in his stomach for a bit longer.

"You're a tough nut to crack," David smiled, "Almost as tough as your daughter."

Loki tensed, started to rise from his position on the floor, growled, "Where is she!"

There it was.

"I knew you could speak. I just had to find the right reason for you to do so."

"Where is.."

"She's fine." David stopped him, "A bit shell shocked. I had to demonstrate for her how serious I am in my endeavor."

Loki had made his feet though he felt unsteady, each step bringing him closer to David.

"Sit down, honestly, why expend your energy so uselessly?"

But Loki kept coming. David knew Leroy was watching the monitor and unless he gave the signal, would not interfere. David remained impassive until Loki was inches from him, then he matched Loki's hard stare, waiting for his next move. Anticipating it.

"I could stop your heart with but a few words." He snarled.

"You could," David nodded, "I've no doubt. Not after reading your file. But you won't." David stood up, pleased to see he nearly matched Loki in height, "Because if I leave this room in less than one piece with my eyes open, your daughter's life will be forfeit and you know it."

As he had settled into the life of a family man, instances of extreme rage, anger had faded into distant memory, replaced by simple irritation, occasional frustration. The wave of murderous hatred that washed over him at this moment, took him by surprise, calling to mind the past he'd hoped long buried.

It was with terrific will power that he was able to return to his place against the far wall and he slid down cross legged, hands in his lap.

"Now don't look so defeated. Go on eat while we talk."

Loki reached out and pulled the tray over to him but still left the food untouched.

"After all, this is where I get the most enjoyment out of my day job, picking apart the brains of the truly ill, like you, a genuine psycopath."

"I do not ken psychopath. Stark has called me such a word many times before."

"Do you want the clinical version or would you prefer it dumbed down?" David templed his fingers before him.

Loki grunted, looked away, "I do not care what it means."

"Oh you might. Webster's Dictonary defines a psycopath as a mentally ill or unstable person affected with antisocial personality disorder. Now your condition could be the result of a chemical imbalance in the brain. I wonder, aren't so-called gods supposed to be perfect?" When he received no answer, he continued, "It could be caused by your home life, how you were brought up. Likely it's a combination of both."

"I do not ken nor do I care to. Leave me alone."

"Sorry," David leaned forward, "I can't. This is too great an opportunity. Maybe you'd like to know how I came by the diagnosis. I could throw names at you like Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, Jack the Ripper, but you need context so let me provide it. They were all serial killers. Murderers who overpowered their victims and then killed them. Some were rapists, some wanted revenge, still others had no obvious motive, at least none that were ever discovered."

"You dare to compare me to these individuals?"

David smiled, he had expected to hear disgust, rage in Loki's response. Instead he found the wavering quality of the unsure, fearful and he was certain he'd found the chink in the armor.

"Let's dig deeper then shall we? Let's see if you have the hallmarks that aren't readily recognized."

Loki looked up to the ceiling, focusing on the narrow ventilation slits and the light within.

"You're married." David pulled a small tablet from the inner pocket of his suit jacket, "The woman is listed as someone named Eidra?"

Loki felt his stomach turn.

"It states further, now I'm going by classified records, that she was a former house servant of yours from somewhere called Alfheim. This puts a new spin on your need for power. It could even extend to your daughter. Is that why she ended up here on Midgard? Because you tried to control her, exert your power over her?"

Loki clamped his hands over his ears, "Stop."

"We could look at the master-slave relationship as well. How the slave serves the master so well, tells him what he wants to hear, does what he wishes, learns to love him because he is all she knows, that he becomes dependent on her. Thus the master in turn becomes the slave."

"Stop!" Loki cried.

"Or," David stood again from the cot and ambled over to where Loki sat, his fists shoved to his ears, his elbows on his knees, "We could skip straight to the incident in New York."

David squatted down before him, "How many people did you kill directly? Indirectly? Do you know that day was termed the deadliest attack on a civilian population in recorded history? Thousands of lives lost. Men, women, children...children like Brenna. I wonder does your family know about your past? Your wife? What about your daughter?"

Loki had started to whine, rocking back and forth. He hadn't visited the images from the time spent in oblivion but once since his imprisonment and then only for the sake of his wife. He could now see the reptilian faces of the Chitauri as they clamored about him, hungry for war and death. Splitting the sky over Manhattan, destroying entire buildings, roaming the streets, killing. Revisited too were the emotions, the joy he'd felt at taking the lives of those who stood in his way. How effective the Chitaurian scepter had been, the power he'd felt while he'd wielded it.

He had been pardoned. He had been imprisoned and pardoned. He had never paid the price for his actions until perhaps now.

"Would it matter if I told your daughter about you? About the murderer her father truly is?"

David was unprepared as Loki leaped, shoving him across the carpet, his hands wrapped about his throat. For a moment, David saw stars as his head bounced off the hard floor then he was choking, gasping for breath as Loki bore down with his thumbs into David's windpipe.

"I will bury my dagger in your skull!" He shrieked, teeth bared, "Rip your throat out with my bare hands! I will sheath my sword in your guts!"

He lifted David's head from the floor and banged it down again, heard the door behind him slide open and yet he kept squeezing.

Leroy rushed over to where Loki sat atop David's chest. Grabbing at his arm was like gripping steel. He would never get him to let go in time no matter how big he was. "Fuck this." He muttered as he fumbled in his pants pocket for the syringe, dropped it to the floor, retrieved it, flipped off the cap ready to plunge it into Loki's arm when Loki's shoulders dropped. He released David's throat and pushed off of him as David rolled to his side gagging, coughing, pulling in great lungfuls of air until finally he was able to give a short laugh. He rose to his hands and knees, then to his feet with Leroy's help.

"Doc that was too goddamn close for me, Christ."

David held up his hand, took another deep breath as he looked down at the man on his hands and knees, arms wrapped over his head as he moaned. He knew then he was staring at a broken man. The job was half done.

"Only you can tell Brenna it's in her best interest to do as I say. I suggest you do so."

David started for the door, nudging the tray with his foot as he passed, "Pick that up, he's not going to eat it anyway."

Leroy picked up the tray as David glanced over his shoulder at Loki and smiled.

"We'll try this again tomorrow."

Loki heard the door slide shut behind him. Only then did he start to pound his fists on the floor, his screams turning quickly to a roar that filled the room, spilling out into the corridor as the door at the other end slid closed.

Chase stood looking at Sophie, Brian and Rachel, "She's not here yet?"

"Naw man, we've been here for almost a half hour. We thought you was, you know.." And Brian winked at him.

"Maybe she's talking to Miss Munro. She's been acting odd lately what with those bad dreams, being homesick, I'll go see. If she gets here, text me." He patted the phone in his pocket and trotted out of the dining hall.

When Miss Munro said she'd not seen Brenna, Chase felt a slight prickle at the back of his neck but he ignored it and returned to her room, hoping they'd just been missing each other. Minutes later, he was standing in the middle of her room holding her cell phone as his rang.

"What's up?" Brian answered though his words were muffled around a mouthful of food.

"She wasn't with Miss Munro, she's not in her room and her cell phone is here."

Silence, then, "Uh...okay, okay stay right there. We'll be up in a second."

The phone beeped as it hung up and Chase started to look around the room. One of her dresser drawers was ajar and he peered inside but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Her clothes were still there. He moved the mouse to her laptop but it was shut down. He walked to the window and scanned the lawn in the morning sun, shielding his eyes from the glare off the lake hoping to see her out for a morning walk.

The door opened behind him and he whirled around hoping to see Brenna.

"Nothing yet?" Brian was puffing, hands on his knees. He held up his hand and took a deep breath.

Sophie walked into Brenna's bathroom, "Everything is still here. Let's look around the school before we start getting spooked out."

They filed out the door, closing it behind them and were soon combing the mansion, Chase keeping an eye on his phone to mark the time. "We're gonna miss our first class."

"Maybe she's at class early." Sophie remarked though she sounded unsure.

They looked in the gymnasium where Logan called to them to get to their classes. They assured him they would and kept going until they came to Nala's class and peeked inside. Nala caught the movement in her peripheral vision and turned to them, mouthing the words, "Where's Brenna?"

Chase shrugged, mirroring Nala's concerned look and backed out of the classroom.

They all stood there, silent, none of them knowing where to look next. Suddenly Chase's eyes got wide and he started to run down the hall.

"What the hell?..dawg what's wrong?" Brian cried as they sprinted after him.

Chase threw Brenna's door wide open and ran to her desk, peering underneath it, "Goddamn it."

Brian was leaning against the door frame panting while Sophie and Rachel stared into the room from the hallway, "What wrong with you, man?"

Chase turned to them, "Her backpack is gone. I didn't think about it until just now." He put his hands atop his head, "Shit!"

"Damn," Brian walked into the room and looked around, "You think she run off back home?"

Chase was pacing the floor hand over his mouth, "She couldn't. I mean there was no possible way. She didn't take the necklace when her father offered it to her so nothing there. No portal and she can't call the Bifrost or whatever it is they do because she was never recognized in Asgard so she's not considered a citizen."

"Recognized? That like being baptised?"

"I guess, I don't know. So then where the hell is she?"

Sophie ran to the window to look out at the lake, then back at the room, "I think we should tell Miss Munro we can't find her."

"What do you mean you can't find her?" Miss Munro looked at Kurt who by now had stood from the easy chair he'd been sitting in when the group came rushing into her office.

"We cannot find her. I mean she's disappeared." Chase threw his hands in the air, "She left her cell phone and her laptop but took her backpack."

"How do you know that?"

"We went into her room to look for her." Sophie had her arms about her stomach, "I feel like I'm gonna be sick."

"Where did you look for her?" Kurt was at the windows, scanning the grounds.

"We been all over the school, Professor." Brian had moved beside him, "We even went outside and searched the grounds. She ain't nowhere round here."

Miss Munro sat in the chair behind her desk, running her fingers through her hair, "Okay, let's calm down. When did you talk to her last, Chase?"

"Last night." He flopped down in the easy chair, "Damn it I knew something was wrong. I shoulda gone with my gut instinct."

"What did she say?" Miss Munro had picked up her phone, now paused.

"She claimed she was sick. She didn't come to movie night, DAMN!" He slapped the arms of the chair. "Why would she take off without saying anything to me? Where the hell would she go?"

Miss Munro held up her hand, "Listen, I want the four of you to head to your classes. I'm going to make a couple phone calls."

The four of them groaned in unison. Chase shook his head, "With all due respect, Miss Munro. I couldn't concentrate on my schoolwork. Not like this."

"None of us could." Brian piped up.

"I have calls to make that you can't be privy to so whether you go to class or go to the rec room, you can't be here." Miss Munro pointed towards the doorway, "I'll fetch you as soon as I'm done."

Chase stood up, felt Sophie's hand at his back as they headed out the door when Rachel paused, "Miss Munro?"

"Yes," She looked up from the phone.

"Um, aren't the grounds under video surveillance?"

Kurt rolled his eyes, "Ach, what do ve have der cameras for if ve always forget dem? Very good, Rachel."

Miss Munro hung up the phone and turned to her computer, bringing up the video feed from the night before. "Well let's start at the front door. I'll set it to play forward at three times speed from ten p.m."

They all crowded behind her as the frames clicked by quickly. At about eleven-thirty, they watched her emerge from the doorway, pause, then start down the driveway until she was swallowed up by the darkness.

"Shit, where the hell did she go? Do you have any feed at the front gate?" Chase peered at the monitor.

"Hold on." She clicked on the file marked "Gate Camera" and set the clock to eleven-forty again watching the feed move forward, cars whizzing by, their lights whiting out the camera as they passed. Finally they saw Brenna pass through the main gate, take out a paper, look at it and turn left, walking down the road away from the school until the camera lost her again.

"Okay, she's obviously missing. Now let me make my phone calls then we'll figure out our next move."

She watched the four teenagers walk out of the room, talking amongst themselves rapidly then she looked at Kurt, "Could she have gone back to Asgard?"

"Walking?"

Ororo put her head down on the desk, "I don't know, have you got another explanation?"

"She ran away in der first place, couldn't she do it again?"

Ororo picked up the phone again, "Fury is going to have a field day with this." she sighed as she began to dial.


	69. Chapter 69

She heard the elevator doors slide open behind her as she took another deep breath and slowly blew it out. Her eyes were closed, she was in the Lotus position, the sun streaming in on her through the plate glass windows overlooking the Atlantic ocean. She took another breath, tried to ignore his muttering as he stepped behind the bar and dropped a couple ice cubes in a glass with a loud clink.

"Are you listening to me?"

Pepper shook her head, "Not on my lunch break. Talk to me in..." She thought to herself, "Ten more minutes."

"I don't have ten minutes to wait."

Deep breath in, slowly out. The sound of liquid pouring, "Pepper."

She opened her eyes, her shoulders slumped, "I'm taking those extra minutes tomorrow." She rose to her feet and stretched, "Now what's so urgent that I can't finish meditating?"

"Our little exchange student has taken off."

Pepper tilted her head, "Who?"

"Brenna? You know...Destructo's daughter?"

"Taken off where?"

Tony swirled the ice in his glass, "If we knew, we'd have found her by now."

Pepper picked up her tablet from the counter of the wet bar and started to tap the screen, "Could she have just gone home?"

Tony shook his head as he walked to the windows, watching the surf crash against the rocks far below, "According to those in the know, there's no way for her _to_ get home. Her father has that magic necklace and she can't fly Air Asgard."

"Well there must be some way to find her. What about satellite feed? Is she on foot?"

Tony turned to her, drained his glass, "She should be, she can't even drive. I've had Jarvis scanning the satellite feeds all over the northern hemisphere since I talked to Fury but it's as if she's vanished. The last visual anyone's had of her was last night just before midnight" He set the empty glass on the counter.

"So now what?"

Tony pulled out his sunglasses, "I'm going to New York. Meet up with Fury and go from there."

Pepper was slipping her flats on, "I'll meet you at the penthouse."

Tony strode over to her and gave her a lingering kiss on the forehead, "We had better find her before Destructo makes New York seem like a Sunday picnic."

She felt so comfortable, warm. Heavy blankets piled over her which she burrowed into, pulling them over her head hoping the alarm wouldn't go off for at least another twenty minutes. She stretched one arm out of the blankets and over her head, her knuckles tapping the wall.

Her eyes shot open. Where was her headboard with the little alcove? She sat up in a panic as she looked about the strange room she was in then down at herself. Gone were her t-shirt and jeans, replaced by a light yellow pair of hospital scrubs. Someone had undressed her while she was asleep! She recalled Chase's father shooting Garrett. Yelling at her. She remembered being brought back to the van, given water to drink then falling asleep but that was it.

She got out of the bed she'd been lying in. She saw a TV across the room, a small round table with two chairs, then she turned to the bed again and nearly dropped to her knees. She was in the room she'd dreamed about, the room where she'd seen the corpse.

She flung herself at the door to her left and started to bang on it, screaming at the top of her lungs. "Let me out! Please, don't leave me here. LET ME OUT!"

She kept screaming, banging until her hands were sore and she was on her knees forehead pressed to the door, her voice hoarse. Finally she fell to quiet sobbing. She'd never been more terrified in her life. She should have gone straight to Miss Munro. They would have found her father.

She knelt there for a while, only reluctantly did she get up and walk to the table, staying far away from the bed. As she pulled out a chair, she heard the door slide open. She looked up and saw David walk in. She circled behind the chair, gripping the back like a shield.

"Did you sleep well?" David had a clipboard in his hands which he set on the table.

"I do not want to stay in this room." She backed away from him, pulling the chair with her.

He looked around, "Why not? You have everything you need here. A bathroom, bed, table, chairs, even a TV."

She shook her head, "I have seen death here."

David smiled but she could see shock register in his eyes, "What do you mean you've seen death?"

"In a dream. I saw a body in that bed." She pointed with a shaky hand.

"Well dreams are just that, dreams." He pulled out the other chair, "People have tried to interpret them as premonitions, bad omens. They've given symbolism to them. In the end though, they're only dreams."

He sat down and started to write on the clipboard.

"In Asagard, we believe the same thing. Dreams mean something to us, they show us what will happen. What has happened."

David nodded, looked up at her put the tip of the pen in his mouth, "Do you take after your mother or your father in looks?"

She wanted to crawl under the table and hide from this man. She kept her gaze on her hands, "I do not know. Helgi says I have my father's eyes, my mother's hair."

"They have produced a lovely combination."

She shivered, felt her behind bump the wall, she'd cowered herself into a corner.

"I want to see my father."

"You will," David waved at her, looked at his watch and stood up, "Damnit, I have a meeting coming up. I'll be back later tonight to see how you're doing. We'll talk more then. Leroy will bring you your lunch pretty soon."

David's eyes slid to the TV, "Go ahead and turn it on. Might as well make yourself comfortable."

Brenna wanted to claw his eyes out, "People will be looking for me. My friends from the school. My Uncle Thor."

David smiled at her, "Doubtless they already are but they're going to be hard pressed to find you."

"I know people who can find me using the power of their minds alone. I have but to sit and wait." Brenna tapped her head with a finger.

David walked to the wall beside the door and ran his hand along the painted surface as if he were caressing a lover, "You mean the telepaths? I've prepared for that agenda as well. Do you hear that hum?"

She listened carefully, could just hear it, almost too faint to notice.

"These rooms, this whole corridor is sheathed in a special kind of metal alloy. Not even the strongest telepath in the world could penetrate it. One of my colleagues was good enough to provide me with this barrier. If they find you, it certainly won't be with their minds."

She felt like crying again. He bowed low to her, "Excuse me, I'm going to be late."

After the door shut behind him, she gave it the finger, Brian would have been proud. She sat down at the table and started to run through her options which took no time at all. There were none.

The silence was deafening, the hum, now that she'd been made aware of it, drilling into her head.

She stood and walked to the TV, picked up the remote in front of it, hit the power button and dropped the remote to the floor.

In a small carpeted room furnished only by a cot was her father, sitting on the floor, his arms wrapped around him, forehead resting on his bent knees.

"Father," She whispered, reaching towards the screen. Then louder, "Father!"

And he raised his head.

He was sure he'd been dreaming. He was starving, hungry enough that even the Midgardian equivalent of food would have seemed like a feast to him. The drugged water had put him to sleep. He rubbed his face, stretched out his legs and then he heard it. "Father!"

He scrambled to his feet, turning about unsteadily, scanning the room, "Brenna?!"

He'd said her name, he could hear her! "Father, gods! Father! Where are you?"

"Where are you?" She watched him look at the ceiling, the corners of the room, staring at one point where the camera must have been trained on him.

"I am in a small white room with a bed and table and a TV. Oh Father, I have dreamed of this room before. It was a nightmare."

She saw him walk to the door, bang on it with his fists. "How do I reach you?"

She began to cry again, "I do not know! I came to find you, oh Father! It was awful. I was put into a van by an evil man and brought to this house and Father, I saw a man get shot!"

He could hear the fear in her voice. It brought him back to a time when she was little. When they'd moved to Rialo, the first year, and she was just turned seven seasons. She'd been playing with the boys in the village when an entourage had rolled through the village. The nobleman, perched on a large gray stallion had following him two great dogs. Massive they were, half as tall as Brenna, with great squarish heads and snow white coats. They saw Brenna standing at the side of the road and set up a fierce barking though they were kept at bay by two leather straps the nobleman held tightly in his fist.

He'd called to the dogs and they had heeled upon command but the damage was already done.

She had screamed in terror and run straight into Eidra's arms, her words tumbling from her almost too fast to understand., "Mama, the dog barked at me! He wanted to bite me!" Her little hands holding Eidra's face, Eidra trying not to laugh, trying to seem serious. How he'd wanted to pick her up in his arms and bring her over to the dogs to show her they wouldn't hurt her but only stood there listening to Eidra soothe her, stroke her hair.

"We have to get out of here. David wants me to do something I do not think I can do."

"What, Brenna? Explain."

Brenna sat on the floor before the TV, "He wants me to cure people. I can heal what is broken, break what is healed. I do not know if I can cure people. What if I try and fail?"

"Do nothing for him," Loki waved his hand, "Someone will find us."

"How? Father, no one knows where we are. I told no one where I was going."

She watched him sit on the cot at the far end of the room, "If I knew where you were, I would free myself from this room and find you."

"I am sorry Father, this is my fault." She put her head in her hands.

"No!" he cried, jumping up, looking about the room, "Do not think in the slightest that this is any fault of yours."

"I ran away!" She moaned, "If I had stayed on Asgard, we would not be here."

"If I had listened to you. If I had given you a bit of freedom, allowed you to go to the palace, take your place in the court..."

"Father, may we say we were both wrong? That way we both bear the burden and you know sharing such a heavy load is always easier together."

She saw him give a sad smile, "You are so much like your mother. She has told me the same thing time and again."

"As she has me."

She was quiet for a minute, then, "I miss her."

"We will see her soon."

She had crawled back up onto the bed now and she lay there staring at the screen, "Father,"

He raised his head about to speak when an image unbidden came to mind. He could see Astrid the old seer laying in her bed, staring at nothing, patting his hand. He could hear her voice, "You must make amends, you must save one to save both. Without the power of transformation, the butterfly will remain a caterpillar."

"Father," He heard her ask, "What is it?"

Loki gazed about the room, "You have always called your mother Mama, yet you have always called me Father."

She was quiet so that he was almost ready to ask if she was there but then she spoke, "I called you Father out of respect."

"And you do not respect your mother?"

She had wrapped herself in the blanket on the bed, gathered the pillow to her. How could she tell him she had been frightened of him from the day they'd met. How she had been horrified to learn he was her father and the stories Sylvan and Moran had told her. How serious he always seemed, that she felt she could never talk to him. Then she recalled Christmas, when he tried to give her the Uruz with all its responsibility. When he'd brought her out to teach her the crossbow. His fiercely protective stance that had always been present. She had promised she would be honest with him when next they met. She took a deep breath,

"I have always been afraid of you. I remember when I first met you, when Helgi brought me to give you a hug, how stiff you were."

"I was so unsure, you were a little girl, a stranger.."

"Sylvan and Moran told me stories about you to frighten me further. They called you cruel, proud, vain...and when I should have been calling them out for their insults, instead I was led to agree with them."

She watched him start to pace about the room, "Cruel? Did I ever once lay a hand upon you? You never lacked for food, clothing, shelter. You had everything you ever needed."

"Not everything I ever wanted."

"Nobody gets everything they want. What more could I have given you?"

He waited for her to say he could have let her live in Asgard like she'd asked but her response stopped his feet.

"Attention," He could hear the pain in her voice and it broke his heart, "And love."

"Brenna," He said softly, "You are my firstborn, my daughter. I have always loved you. It killed me to lose those years with you, to think you dead then to lose your mother. It was more than I could bear. When Helgi brought me to you as a baby, I had already fallen prey to madness. I could have let you in, could have seen you for who you were and I did not. I will never be able to give you back that time..."

She wiped her eyes, gritted her teeth, "Father?"

"What?"

"While I have stayed on Midgard, I have seen and heard many things...about you."

He walked to his cot and sat down. "Yes."

She hesitated, "Were they true?"

She watched him nod his head and a cold chill ran through her, "New York? All those people? Why, why did you do it?"

"I was not well." To tell her that he had been under the influence of the Chitauri would mean nothing to her. It would sound like a hollow excuse partly because some of his actions had been his own, fueled by unmitigated grief, rage, despair. He had sought revenge for Eidra's death where there was none to be found, "I had lost all I loved, I thought there was nothing left for me."

She was quiet.

"You are the reason I am here. I was led to believe this madman had already taken you prisoner. I hope you shall forgive me when I tell you I came here to rip out his heart with my bare hands."

She smiled. The man he had been then, the monster, was not the man who was sitting with his head in his hands. He was a Prince of Asgard. Perhaps a god to the people of Midgard, but to her he was just her father. More than that...

"Papa,"

She saw his head come up, the gentle smile on his face.

"You have no idea how much joy that one word gives to me."

She sat up, the blanket still wrapped around her, "There are other things I have read that the Midgardians believe about us, for instance, they think you are a frost giant."

She heard him chuckle, "Would you like me to show you?"

"What?"

He felt his skin change, harden, cool and he held his hands up before him,brilliant blue and he turned about slowly, heard her gasp.

"Gods! This is why Nala was shocked when she met you. She could see you, could she not?"

He nodded.

"Does Mama know?" She stared at the markings on his skin, his eyes the color of rubies. In this form, he looked fierce, like a true warrior.

The color began to fade from his skin until it had returned to its fair pallor. He clasped his hands together as if he could wash the color from them.

"It will remain our secret until comes there a time when she must know. Can you do this for me?"

Sharing a secret with him was akin to a miracle. There was so much she wanted to talk to him about but she was afraid to break the spell with too many questions. There would be time enough later. Were it not for the fact of their situation, she would be fairly bouncing about with excitement.

"I will keep your secret..." the word still felt foreign though it was soothing, comforting to say, as if it would keep them safe like a talisman, "Papa."

"Take care when they try to feed you. The water had Midgardian medicine that made me sleep."

"They gave me the same water. But I am so hungry...and I am scared." She tightened the blankets around her.

"Eat when they bring the food. They will not hurt you. They need you."

"What about you?"

Loki wanted to reassure her. He did not want to break their new found trust so he did what he could, "They still need us both. Stay strong. We will get out of here together."

The words themselves uplifted her and she lay down on the bed again, watching the screen until she could no longer keep her eyes open, "Papa, do not be afraid. I am so tired. I do not want you to worry should I not respond when you talk to me."

"Rest, Bren. I will be right here when you wake up."

But she never heard him, with her arm outstretched towards the screen and her head on the crook of her elbow, she was already asleep.


	70. Chapter 70

Ororo looked at the time in the corner of the computer screen. It was almost nine in the evening. The school had been crawling with agents all day analyzing the video feed, searching for evidence as to where she had gone. They had even confiscated her laptop, finding a search for the train station in Croton Falls. Agents had been sent there with Brenna's picture, they had even checked the station video feed with no luck. Currently the trail was cold and now Chase was pacing back and forth in her office in a panic.

"What else can they do? What if she's in a ditch somewhere hurt...I'm not gonna even think about the other possibility."

"Chase," Ororo sighed, "You have to calm down. There's not much you're going to do by getting worked up. We're all as concerned as you are but we don't have any leads. You said she couldn't go home on her own and there haven't been any reports of her Uncle here on earth since he brought her the letter from her mother. If you've got any ideas, let me know."

Chase stopped pacing, hands on his hips, "That's the thing. I'm at a loss."

"What about her father? Could he have met up with her? Maybe there's something going on at home? I know I'm grasping at straws. I don't know what more we can do but wait and see if the agents find anything."

Chase dropped down into the easy chair, "And Mister Light couldn't find anything either?"

Andrew Light was the current Professor of Psychology at the school and the highest level telepath in residency. He had tried to find Brenna with no luck. When they suggested he try Cerebro, he had balked. "No one has used that machine in quite some time. I'm no match for it, never was." And they couldn't talk him into it, no matter how convincing the argument. They had called Hank McCoy and he was currently doing some research for them but they hadn't heard back from him yet.

"Why don't you go get some sleep?"

Chase sat forward, "Because I can't."

"You're going to have to try. I'll call you if we have any new developments."

An hour later Brian and Chase were standing under the lights of the Croton Falls platform. Chase had walked the length twice though he wasn't sure what he was looking for.

"Dude, maybe it's like Miss Munro said. Maybe her daddy come got her, brought her back to the 'hood."

Chase shook his head, "It don't make any sense though. Why wouldn't she tell me? I mean if it was something as simple as that."

Brian looked out across the river at the lights on the distant shore, "Dunno, man. Maybe she was worried you was gonna go all Brokeback Mountain...screamin' "I can't quit you!" and such."

"And maybe she was running away, was picked up by some sickos and is lying somewhere dead."

Brian gripped his shoulder, "Now you can't go thinking she in trouble. It'll eat you up. We'll go with the fleeing to her homeland scene."

"I hope you're right." Chase glanced once more around the platform.

"Dude, so do I."

"I still say ye should wait a day more." Sally was holding Cait's hands as she tried to balance in the greening grass of the dooryard, "Ye shouldn't be traveling alone so far, and as far along as ye are."

Eidra watched Moran heft the trunk into the back of the wagon, "I shall be fine. Helgi will be with me."

As if cued, Helgi emerged from the cottage with an armful of blankets, "I doubt we will need these today." Ein-mánuðr, the Spring month, had come in unseasonably warm and Eidra nodded her agreement.

"Helgi, will you talk sense to her?" Sally scooped Cait up in her arms. She started to squeal, indignant at the interruption.

Eidra smiled at Cait. The night before, she had taken two steps on her own before plopping down onto the rag rug at Eidra's feet. She was determined that Loki would not miss another step.

"He has probably been held up at the palace for some reason. I wish to return home and open the house for his return. Who knows maybe he is doing just that now. I will save him the trouble of coming all the way here."

"Perhaps I should come with ye. I've not seen the new manor yet and I would feel a sight better about letting ye travel were I there to help ye if things went awry."

Eidra took Cait from Sally's arms, "I would welcome the company but please do not feel you must come on my account. I am capable of taking care of myself."

"In this condition? Sure and I'll grab me dagger to boot."

Eidra smiled, leaned over and kissed Sally's cheek, "I could not ask for better friends."

Sally disappeared into the cottage as Eidra handed Cait up to Helgi. Fen came running to the wagon with his box of animals, "Are we ready, Mama?"

"Just about, if you will climb into the wagon and settle down."

As they left Rialo behind, Sally riding Lilac alongside the wagon, Eidra felt better. She was heading home. This would go a long way to ease the discomforted feelings she had been having for two days. She only wanted to see Loki, hear his voice, then would her concern abate.

"The king is likely working him to a frazzle in return for taking a holiday." Eidra felt Helgi's hand at her back.

"I am sure. I will take him to task for it if that be the case."

"Loki?"

Eidra turned in the seat, "The king! He tends toward selfishness with his brother. The gods grant he find a new mate soon so I might steal some time with my husband."

"I wonder, does the king's eye fall on some unlucky woman as of yet?" Sally mused.

Eidra nodded, "There is one, a Midgardian woman by the name of Jane. He wooed her some seasons past but the Allfather demanded he pick a queen and so he was forced into the marriage with that harpy of a woman, Sif."

"You should not speak so of a queen, Eidra." Helgi scolded her, "Little ears listen and innocent mouths issue without malice."

Eidra looked at Fen who had stopped playing with Cait and was now watching her, "Well met, Helgi...Sally you will love the manor house and our household, ah which reminds me. I must stop in Andara to fetch our cook Gretten. He must be wondering if we have discharged him."

By the time they left Andara the sun was past its zenith. They had been invited in by Gretten's sister while Gretten packed his things. She could hardly contain her excitement at what she termed such esteemed company, plying them with cider, buttermilk and shortbread to linger. Eidra did so politely, letting Berta fuss over Cait until finally Gretten bussed Berta on both cheeks and took his leave. Eidra had extended an invitation to visit the manor when Berta had time. One would have thought that she had made her a noblewoman as she bowed deeply and kissed Eidra's hand before Gretten pulled her back and chided her.

They were delayed furthermore, by the need to stop infrequently so Eidra could avail herself of the bushes, cursing her weak bladder as she struggled to balance her swollen belly and squat at the same time. When they at last turned down the road to the manor house, the sun was low in the sky. As she drew Blackberry to a stop in the dooryard, she noticed the house was dark. Helgi and Sally were quiet. Fen jumped down from the wagon and ran to the door as Eidra looked down the lane to her left where the servants quarters were. She could see some distant, Hal and Vesta out in their yard, Hal looking at them but unable to do much else. His arms were full of linens that Vesta was unpinning from a clothesline.

Eidra climbed down from the wagon, "I am going to fetch Hal and Vesta to open the house. I can fetch Ingrid on the morrow. Light the lamps inside and start a fire will you Helgi. It is growing cool." Gretten had given Helgi his hand as she stepped from the wagon, "Will you be wanting me to put on tea, Milady?"

"Please, Gretten. I shant be long."

Sally had dismounted Lilac, "Do ye want me to go with ye?"

Eidra waved to her, "No, help Helgi if you will. Corral Cait."

Eidra started down the lane, stopping a moment to catch her breath, feeling the babies inside tumbling, fighting for space. Finally she reached the gate to their dooryard. As she saw Hal's face light up at the prospect of resuming his duties, she smiled. "Hal, has my husband been to the manor today?"

Hal's confused expression made her blood run cold, "Milady, I was of a mind that he was still in your company. I have not seen his Majesty since you left on your holiday."

"He has not been here. You are sure of it?"

"Well" Hal hesitated, "Vesta claims she thought she heard his voice a few days past. She had opened the door to put out the cat and heard shouting down by the manor house but it was too dark for her to see anything. Being the faithful servant I was, I ventured down the lane to the house but by then whoever had been there had left the grounds." He rolled his eyes, "If in fact there had been anyone there in the first place."

"There was." Vesta muttered, "I care not whether you believe me."

"Vesta!" Hal cried, "Mind your manners."

Vesta curtseyed to Eidra, "Begging Milady's pardon."

Eidra glanced back toward the house, "On the morrow, I am riding to Asgard. I must find what my husband is at. He rode to Asgard from Rialo to attend the king and was supposed to come fetch me nearly three days ago."

She shielded her eyes from the setting sun and looked towards the barns. "The stable boy has been tending the livestock has he not?"

Hal nodded, "I saw him outside the barn only just a short time ago before Milady rode into the dooryard. He should still be there. He rarely finishes his chores before dark. I have seen him trot past with a lantern in his hand many times."

Eidra could hear singing inside the large barn as she searched her head for the stable boy's name. She so rarely dealt with him, the barns being Loki's concern. "Eldred?" she called into the doorway and the singing stopped. The scurry of feet along with the clip clop of horse's hooves was heard as Eldred emerged from the barn with a rope in his hands, "Milady," He bowed low, "What might I do for you?" but she could say nothing, her tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth for behind him, the rope tied to his bridle, was Lightning.

"Milady?" the young boy held out a tenative hand, worry crossing his freckled face, "Are you taken ill?"

"Why is Lightning here at the barn? When did your master come home?"

"His Majesty? I know not, only that a couple days past, I opened the barn to find Lightning in his stall. I did not see the Prince."

Helgi screeched when the door swung open with a bang and Eidra came rushing inside. "Something is wrong."

"What do you mean? What did Hal say?" Helgi was at her elbow, guiding her towards her chair before the fireplace.

"Hal said Loki had not returned to the manor but when I went to question the stable boy, he had Lightning by the bridle. He said he entered the barn a few days past to find him in his stall." She put her hands to her stomach, "Where would he go that he would leave on foot?"

Cait had pulled herself to stand at Eidra's feet and Eidra reached down to lift her up, "Maybe he has gone hunting." Fen ventured. He'd slid up to her elbow and she put her hand up to his face.

"Perhaps he has gone with your uncle then? It must be so."

She looked at Helgi's concerned face, "To be sure, I will ride to Asgard at sunrise."

"You put yourself in great danger riding about the countryside in your condition! Eidra you must take care."

Eidra kissed Cait's forehead as she rubbed her face, "I shall take the wagon." She assured her, keeping her opinion to herself, that something was not right.

He watched the red LED change from seven forty-four to seven forty five. Seventy-two hours. It had been three days since he'd walked into his empty house and picked up the phone to call David and tell him the letter had been delivered.

Five hours later, he'd picked up the phone and listened to David scream at him for near to fifteen minutes. He'd been surprisingly calm, in retrospect. He had told David circumstances had been beyond his control, the woman he wanted the letter delivered to hadn't been where she was supposed to be. David had said if this endeavor failed, he would never see Anna again. "You'd be guilty of murder." Was all Martin could respond. He'd cried himself out long before this.

David had only said, "There are other ways to disappear, though murder would be kinder."

Martin stood up from the couch and trudged up the stairs to his bedroom door where he stopped and looked into the dark room. He couldn't bear to sleep in the bed anymore. In fact, he had tried to stay out of the house as much as possible. He'd gone down to the pub in the village for two nights counting. He would sit with his cell phone on the table before him, a pint in his hand, waiting. He would walk home hours later and sit on the couch, falling asleep there until morning when he would wake to wait again.

Martin walked back downstairs, turning on the TV as he sat back down on the couch. He listened to the world news on CNN but not really hearing it. He pulled his phone out of his pocket to look at it once more then something caught his attention. The newscaster, a pretty young woman with skin the color of mahogany, was saying something about a nationwide search for a young girl from New York. Martin sat forward.

"...identified as going by the name of Brenna. The last name has been withheld for security reasons. She is fifteen years old.." A picture of a lovely girl with beautiful blue eyes and dark hair flashed on the screen, "...and is believed to be traveling alone. She was last seen in the vicinity of a private school outside of Salem Center in Westchester county where she is a student. Billionaire philanthropist Tony Stark has been privately funding the concentrated search efforts for the girl and is offering a substantial reward for any information in regards to her location. Anyone with such information is asked to call the New York state police..."

Martin shut off the TV, suddenly agitated. Stark was...Martin screwed his eyes shut and tapped his head, damn his memory. Ah, he was that man with the iron suit. The superhero...Martin's eyes went wide.

He jogged up the stairs and into his bedroom where he grabbed his suitcase with a trembling hand and flung it on his bed while he began to dial the operator with the other. He opened his dresser drawer and started to toss shirts and trousers into the open suitcase, "Yes, Heathrow airport...ticket sales...thank you..."

He briefly considered calling New York and trying to get through to Mister Stark but there was no guarantee he would listen. Stark might even think he was a quack. Martin reached below the clothes in the bottom drawer of his dresser and pulled out an envelope. He was going to bring one important piece of evidence with him. David didn't realize that Martin still had the original letter written in his own hand. Martin stuffed it in the suitcase and zipped it up.

He was going to fly to New York, find Mister Stark and hand him that letter.


	71. Chapter 71

Brenna awoke early. At least it felt early. There were no windows to see the passing of time, no clock on the wall. She could only tell time by the food that was brought to her, or whether she could see her father. Two days past, she had awakened from a doze. When she had turned on the TV and found nothing but static, she was frantic. She had pounded on the door and yelled until the big guard named Leroy had come to the room.

Before he had entered, however, he had informed her that he was armed with a Tazer, proceeding to explain that the device would deliver a very painful electrical charge should she try to escape or otherwise harm him.

He'd then opened the door and she had begged him to tell her why she couldn't see her father.

"Doctor's orders. When he's asleep, the feed shuts down after a certain span of inactivity."

She nodded, wiping the tears from her face and it must have touched something in the big man.

"And a little piece of advice. If I were you, I wouldn't talk about anything you don't want the Doc to know. He monitors your convos."

Brenna thought back to what they'd talked about during that day. They had mentioned the necklace in fact, though her father had been cautious about anything he said. He had asked Brenna what compelled her to come to the Doctor's house.

"He sent me a picture of the Uruz along with the letter. I was so worried about you. I knew something had happened because you never take that necklace off."

Her father had put a hand to his chest at the place where it would rest, "It is a symbol of the joy in my life."

"It is dangerous in the wrong hands."

Her father had shaken his head, "The less said about such things, the better. If one knows not what it does, it cannot be a danger."

Now she sat on the bed, waiting, listening, watching the TV which was still blank. How long could he sleep? She heard footsteps. Likely Leroy coming to take her tray. She watched the door, heard the lock click open.

David smiled at her as he walked in. With him, he had a balding, heavyset man in green hospital pants and a black t-shirt with white lettering that read "Doctor Who" under a picture of a tall box with the word "Phone" on it. The man also sported thick glasses that he kept pushing up on his nose every few seconds.

"Brenna. This is our first experiment. I'd like you to meet our test subject, Don Macy. Don this is Brenna."

"Youse sure dis is her name?" Don had started to extend his hand but drew it back, the other still busy with his glasses, "Cause dat's not what Harry said." His stare was disconcerting and she looked away. "See dere, Harry said her name is Mary, furthermore, she ain't from around here." Don grabbed David's arm, "And youse know what I mean by around here." He winked at David who put a hand at his back.

"Brenna," She saw Don shake his head, "Don drove taxi in the city for fifteen years, he lived in Brooklyn. Seven years ago, he was involved in a bad accident. He was in a coma for a month. When he came out of it, he had developed schizophrenia, a disease of the mind. He lost his job, his house, his wife..."

"The FBI came an' took her. Dragged her away from the dinner table on meatloaf night, the bastards." Don put a hand to his mouth, "A damn shame."

"remanded him here for treatment and here he stays."

Brenna had put some distance between her and the two men and now stood by the TV. "I am very sorry to hear of it."

David held out his hand to her and she approached but kept her own hands clasped behind her back. "And this is why we're here. Brenna, I want you to try and help him. Cure him. Let him go back to his family a whole man."

Brenna looked at Don then at David, "I told you, I know not whether I can cure diseases. Ask me to heal an arm or a leg, a tear, a wound."

David took Don's free hand and Don yelped, "Hey I already got fingerprinted, take it easy dere!"

"He is wounded! What's wrong with him may be the result of a brain injury. Can't you heal injuries?"

Brenna gave a quick nod but stepped back, "If it is not? Perhaps the injury awakened what was already there." She recalled reading at the school about people who'd been injured, gone into a coma and awakened talking with a foreign accent, had been able to fix a car without ever cracking a manual, could do long sums in their heads. The list was endlessly fascinating. Here and now, however, was anything but.

"We know what hangs in the balance Brenna. Would it hurt you to try?"

"Do not threaten me." She muttered.

David held out Don's hand again, "It's not a threat, it's a promise."

Brenna wanted to claw his eyes out, spit in his face. Instead, she took Don's hand and shuddered. It was clammy with sweat and shaking, "Hey girly, whatcha doin'? I gots a t'ing with people touchin' on me."

Brenna closed her eyes, seeing instead the map of Don's body laid out before her. Old fractures, tears in the ligaments of his right leg, scrapes, cuts. An old stab wound. Don started to pull his hand from hers but she growled, "Stand still!" and Don blew out a large breath that smelled of wintergreen.

Still further she looked until she found what she was looking for and she wanted to cry again. As she had expected, there was nothing there to heal. She saw the brain, saw the old damage, broken and healed blood vessels. There was nothing wrong to the naked eye. No bleeding wound. Neither was there anything do for him. She could unheal and reheal the old wound but it would do nothing to relieve his symptoms.

She let go of his hand, bit her bottom lip to stop it from trembling, "I only found wounds, fractures, cuts. I saw nothing I could heal that would help him."

Don was rubbing his hand, he'd ceased his endless quest to keep his glasses on his nose for a moment, "What'd she do? Vulcan mind meld or somethin'? Cause she ain't gonna get nothing from me." he tapped his head, "I was recitin' the alphabet all the while she was holding my hand, stops them from brainwashing ya."

She looked at David, waiting for him to explode but he smiled at her. She found she would rather he'd yelled at her, "You lied." He clapped his hands together, "You didn't try hard enough. Rest assured you will the next time."

David put his hand on Don's back again, "Come Don, it's not safe to have you out of the ward for so long is it."

"I told ya dat but do youse listen to me, nooo."

She waited until the door closed behind them to rush to the TV and yell at the static, "Papa, I am so sorry! Papa!"

Loki heard the door and opened his eyes. He'd been doing something he'd not done in many ages, at least not until Brenna had run away. He had been on his knees, resting back at his heels, his hands palm up on his thighs, breathing deeply. He wanted to keep centered, clear his mind. He closed his eyes again as David walked over to him. "You still haven't eaten anything. It's been what, three days. You need your strength."

He let David wait, breathed in, breathed out.

"Man can't go more than a week without water."

He opened his eyes, "I do not trust your food, certainly not your water."

"Okay, tell you what. Why don't I take a drink of the water first, in good faith."

Loki watched David walk to the tray of food near the door, unscrew the bottle and take a swig of the water, "See? Nothing wrong with it..." Then David started to sway, caught himself against the wall, "Whoa, damnit. I guess I picked the wrong bottle..."

Loki remained impassive, in the same position until David chuckled and stood upright, "You're not much for a sense of humor are you?"

"What I would find humorous at this moment, you most certainly would not."

David tilted his head, "For instance?"

Loki looked at the tray and smiled, "The fork wedged securely in your eye socket."

"Hmmph," David grunted, "you'd be right..." He waved his hand, "Alright question time, your favorite."

David sat on the cot, "Then we're going to let you get washed up...take a real shower. Would you like that?"

Loki stood up and turned to David, "Do not talk to me as you would a child."

He saw David had a book in his hand which he tossed onto the carpet, "Let's talk about you again because you're such an interesting subject."

Loki bent over and picked up the book, reading the title with genuine amusement. "Norse Mythology."

"Ancient mythology. It's what our ancestors have believed for centuries. Tell me, are you a god or is this all just bullshit?"

"To you I would seem a god. I can do spell magic, I am stronger than you many times over. I can withstand much more than your fragile bodies."

David seemed to be writing something on the clipboard, "So that explains the facility video."

Loki peered at him, "What?"

"When those agents shot at you. Then you killed them? Ring a bell?"

Loki walked towards him, "Battle armor, far superior, your weapons are no match for it. Asgardian steel, the smithing of the Dokkalfar. My sword could cut through the metal hull of one of the tanks your military so prize with little resistance."

"That would be nice technology to have. Don't suppose it's available." When Loki didn't answer he continued on, "I've read about the gods before and it's always been my belief that they're immortal. I read this book," he pointed to the book in Loki's hands, "And it says you're not. Want to set me straight?"

Loki looked at him, "We are mortal just as you, long lived yes, but in the end, we too will die as must all beings."

David wrote something, "What about your offspring, your wife. Are they gods?"

"Again it is a human interpretation though I would not suggest you test it."

David stood from the cot, "You're just a very long lived strong man who knows a little magic. Tell me what everyone was so afraid of when you visited New York."

Loki stepped closer to him, "Perhaps I shall show you how quick it is to break someone's neck and snap their spine. I have always found a demonstration is much more effective."

David grinned, "Indeed it is."

"Why have I not been able to speak with my daughter today?" Loki was growing irritated.

David walked past him to the door, "We had business to deal with first. You'll talk with her later." The door slid open and Leroy walked in. Loki noted his tone was a bit more somber.

"We'll show you to the shower room."

Loki was walked to the end of the corridor to a door which opened up to reveal six shower heads, three on each side of a tall tiled barrier which led to a tiled floor. There were windows in this room but they were narrow and high up the wall. There were wooden benches to his right and cubbyholes with towels in them.

He turned to David and Leroy, "This is part of your ritual I presume?"

"Ritual?" David seemed curious, "You mean watching people shower? I don't want you to slip away while we're not looking. Bath soap is in the dispensers on the wall."

Loki made no move towards the showers, heard behind him footsteps and a squeaking that echoed in the tiled room.

"Your daughter isn't quite cooperating the way I want her to but she's just a young girl. I want her to help me out of the goodness of her heart but when she disobeys, can I really punish her like I wish to? No, because I don't want to hurt her, damage her. I can, however, get my point across another way."

Loki had been staring at the shower room and he turned in time to see Leroy, pale, his jaw set, before the stream of water with the force of a linebacker took his feet from beneath him. The back of his head smacked hard on the tiled floor and he drew in a choking breath as the stream of water hit him in the face. He turned onto his hands and knees and tried to regain his footing but the water kept him down. It felt as if tiny needles were hitting his skin, his sides, back, legs, feet, at full force. He struggled to keep his face away from the water but there was nowhere to hide. He felt as if he were drowning as he tried to shield his face from the brutal stream.

"You see, Loki. Hurt her and you get angry, maybe tear up the place a bit. Hurt you and she'll do anything we ask. It's touching really. The bond between a father and daughter."

"Stop," Loki tried to gasp, take a breath. Water poured into his mouth down his throat and he gagged, felt ready to vomit as the cold water hit his empty stomach. "STO...STOP!"

He managed to get his knees beneath him as he pressed up against the tile wall under the shower heads, arms wrapped about his stomach and still Leroy kept the hose aimed at him, "PLEASE!"

He cried, took a breath and put his hand to the floor, _"Jeg kaller Tors lyn til min hånd!"_ And David was suddenly on his back on the tiled floor, groaning as Leroy slid down the wall beside the hose.

Loki felt the electricity flow through his body. He gritted his teeth, and squeezed his eyes shut as it tensed every muscle in unison but at the very least the water had stopped. He let himself drop to the floor then, shivering with the cold, the pain. He wanted to cry, to scream though he refused to give David the satisfaction of hearing him.

David got slowly to his feet. He was soaked. Leroy had managed to stand up as well and he was starting for Loki when David held up his hand and spoke to Loki. "You're going to wish you hadn't done that."

"Leroy, get him up on his feet. See how he likes being in cold wet clothes for the night."

David watched Leroy pick Loki up from the floor, supporting him as they walked back out into the hallway, depositing him in his room. David watched him sink to the carpet. In another day or so, he'd be begging Brenna to do what David said. He was being worn down, worn out. He was indeed just a man and all men had their breaking points. Without another word, David closed the door and headed down the corridor behind Leroy.


	72. Chapter 72

She steadied herself on the hand of the servant who'd trotted out to the wagon as she reined in Blackberry before the entryway into the palace. "Where is the king?"

"Milady, he is still abed I believe." the servant waved over a young boy, " Take the wagon, water the horse." then he bowed to Eidra. "I shall announce your arrival."

As she followed the servant through the halls, she ventured to ask him though she feared the answer, "Has Prince Loki been here?"

The servant stopped so quickly she had all she could do not to run into him, "Milady he has not been at the palace for days."

"Days..." She swallowed hard, "Very well, carry on."

The servant knocked on Thor's bedchamber door and waited until they heard a sleepy voice, "Who disturbs me at such an early hour?"

They heard muted voices from inside, then, "Enter."

The servant opened the door a crack and stuck his head inside, "Sire, the Lady Eidra is here to see you."

Eidra heard a flutter to sheets and the thump of footsteps as the servant backed out of the way and Thor appeared, tying his robe about him. Through the open door she saw a woman she did not recognize sitting up in bed watching them.

"Your Majesty," Eidra bowed, "Might I inquire as to the whereabouts of my husband?"

The look on Thor's face frightened Eidra, "I was about to ask you the same question. When last I saw him, he said he was going to fetch you from Rialo where you were staying with friends. I have not seen him since."

When she had awakened that morning before sunrise, she turned over in bed, praying she would find Loki beside her. When she saw she was still alone, she got up, dressed and was on the road by sunup, her discomfort growing.

Now she put a hand to her belly as she told Thor what she had found when she'd returned home. His horse stabled, the raised voices Vesta had heard.

"Have the palace searched." Thor waved Eidra into the bedchamber as the servant bowed low, "Immediately your Majesty."

Eidra stood near the door while Thor walked to the bed and presented his hand to the woman sitting there, the blanket pulled up to her neck. "Jane, may I introduce to you Eidra, princess of the realm. Loki's wife. Eidra, Miss Jane Foster of Midgard.."

Eidra nodded to the woman who smiled at her and returned the gesture. She was petite, with long brown hair and eyes to match though she could see determination in them. She hardly seemed a match for the hulk of a man that was Thor.

"Your Majesty, I do not believe he has hidden in the palace these few days."

"Nevertheless, we must be thorough." Thor threw open his large wardrobe, pulled out a tunic and breeches then began to untie his robe. Eidra turned away, catching Jane as she shook her head and they smiled together.

"Thor, must you?"

Eidra heard muffled laughter, "You women are too modest. How think you we enter this world?"

"And we're just as quickly dressed when we arrive." Jane chided him.

Thor grunted, "I will have the countryside searched for him."

"Where would he go without his horse?"

Thor sat down on the bed to pull on his boots. "Where would he go save here or home?"

Jane was searching beneath the bedcovers, found her robe and slipped it over her head, "Could he have gone to earth?"

They both turned to her, then looked at each other, "Why would he go to earth?" Thor stood from the bed.

"Well his daughter's there isn't she?" Jane was now picking clothes up from the floor on her side of the bed, "If you'll excuse me, I'm a bit more modest than him."

Jane slipped behind a dressing screen, "I think we should consider all possibilities."

"If you believe it warrants, we will return to Midgard."

"As shall I."

Thor shook his head, "It is not meet you should travel in such a condition."

" 'Tis my husband we are searching for. If you should find him, I wish to be the first to give him a sound beating for worrying me so."

Thor met Jane's eyes over the screen and he shrugged, "If you will stay at S.H.I.E.L.D while we are on Midgard. My brother would never forgive me if something happened to you under my watch."

"Agreed."

David sat at the dining table with a sheaf of papers before him that he couldn't concentrate on. The grandfather clock in the hallway counted the time with loud ticks, reminding him of the agonizing passage of time. Adam set a cup of tea down at his elbow and glided away soundlessly.

He hadn't seen home in two days. This morning, Doctor Egan had discovered him asleep on the couch in his office. He'd then spent a half hour lecturing him on how important it was to the hospital to review the upcoming budget proposal. He'd had the monster pile of papers for two weeks. It was now the furthest thing from his mind.

He had to find a way to convince Brenna what he was doing was a worthy thing, that she would be helping very sick people. It was getting more dangerous by the day to have them here. Martin's housekeeper, Anna, had lapsed into catatonia two days after she'd arrived and it had been up to Leroy to see that she was eating, spoon feeding her at least once a day. He'd demanded a bonus for this, stating that nursemaid wasn't in his job description. David gave him whatever he asked though he couldn't have cared either way what happened to the woman. However until he saw this was going to work, he was keeping his bargaining chips.

He had listened to the exchange between Loki and Brenna after he'd brought him back to his room wet and cold. She had wailed, asked him to forgive her, saying she had tried to do what David had asked. David was forced to wonder if she had really told him the truth, forced to admit there was a possibility that she wouldn't be able to help him. He would try again soon. He had to. Loki was clearly a threat, the shock he'd delivered to them in the bathroom had made that clear and David wanted to neutralize that threat as soon as possible.

"Your son called two days ago. I took a message."

David looked up at Adam who was standing off to his side, "What did he say?"

"He wanted to tell you that his...girlfriend" Adam wrinkled his nose with distaste, he hated such base words, "...had run off, in case you hadn't seen the national news."

He'd been unable to avoid it, in fact, Brenna's face had been all over the TV, internet.

"Would you like me to ring him up, sir?"

David shook his head, "Not right now, Adam. I have this proposal to read over."

Adam simply stood there until David looked up at him again, "Is there something else?"

Adam seemed to weigh his thoughts, "I believe your reach exceeds your grasp this time, sir."

"Thank you, Adam."

David bent over the proposal and turned another page. Adam lingered a moment longer then disappeared into the shadows cast by the late afternoon sun streaming into the dining room windows.

She lay on her bed listening to the sounds coming from the TV. His hoarse cough as he lay on the cot, his voice, when he spoke, had dropped an octave. She had known her father to fall ill a total of two times, neither incident enough to lay him low like this.

When she had seen him soaking wet and shivering, she was sure David had been the cause though her father would say nothing of it. She had cried, said she was sorry, told him she would try to do what David wanted. He'd hung his head and lain down on the cot where he now remained.

She saw the door open and Leroy set a tray on the floor, closing the door behind him. When her father didn't move she called to him.

"Papa, please eat. You are not well."

No answer.

"Papa?"

He picked his head up off the pillow and opened his eyes. The smell of the food drew him like fine perfume. Four days...or was it five? He couldn't recall how long they'd been imprisoned here.

He'd given in the day before, drinking the water on the tray. Mercifully it only did what it was supposed to do. It slaked his thirst, staved off his hunger. The chills had started that evening after David had hosed him down in the showers. He'd lain on the carpet of his room listening to Brenna sob, each tear choked plea, every cry of "Papa," tearing at his heart until all he could think of was how he would murder David when all was made right again. At this point, it was one of the few thoughts giving him the impetus to fight on, not to give up, the other being Eidra and the rest of his family. Eidra had surely been made aware now of his disappearance. He had to hope people were looking for them, fighting the war for he was losing the battle.

"Papa, I command you to eat!"

Loki smiled, the first time he'd had reason to in the last couple of days, "Your will be done," He croaked as he pushed himself upright, fighting the vertigo that sapped the strength from his limbs. Sheer force of will brought him to stand, reaching the tray and dropping to the floor beside it.

"You too are eating, yes?"

Brenna looked at her own tray of food. She picked up the cup of pudding and a spoon. "I am, though the fare here leaves much to be desired."

She watched him as he picked up a banana, "Indeed, how does one eat this strange item?"

She giggled, "You peel it. It is a banana. They grow in the tropical climates on Midgard."

He pulled at the top on the fruit, "Hmm."

"Bend it backwards."

The skin split and he broke off a piece of the banana, sniffing at it, "Have you had one of these?"

"Yes, I love them. Go ahead, try it."

He put the piece in his mouth and chewed, his stomach churning at the anticipation of food once again.

"Well?"

" 'Tis strange, not altogether unpleasant." A fit of coughing seized him then and he held his sides, the banana abandoned on the tray.

"You sound so sick."

He grabbed the water bottle from his tray and took a swallow, considered what he could say to ease her mind and found nothing but reassurance, "I will be fine, Bren. I will eat so I may gain strength."

"David said he was going to bring me another patient today. What if I cannot heal this one either?"

Loki sighed, "I do not know what he will do but come what may. You will stay strong. If ever you find the chance to escape, you take it. Do you ken?"

"No."

"Brenna, you will honor this one request, it is all I ask."

Brenna stared at the screen, "How can you ask me to leave you here?"

She saw him pick up the banana again and break off another piece, "Consider this then, if you escape, they will know where we are, where I am."

Brenna shook her head though she knew he couldn't see her, "What if David takes his anger out on you?"

He dropped the banana onto the tray, ran his fingers through his unkempt hair, "It matters not! What is of import is you. I should have ordered you back to Asgard months ago."

"I would not have obeyed you."

"None of this would be happening had I made the right decision." He groaned.

"This is not your fault." Brenna stood from the bed where she'd been sitting.

"Do you not see? I have neglected to do the one thing I should have excelled at. I have failed, as a parent, I have failed!" He cried, his voice rough, hoarse.

"How can you say such a thing, what have you failed at?"

"I have failed to keep you safe!" he roared and was wracked by another fit of coughing.

"Papa." Softly, "I have failed to obey you. Did we not agree that we were both at fault? Did we not agree to let the past lie?"

"I cannot. Someday when you have children of your own, you will ken. Now listen to me and heed my order. Escape if the opportunity presents itself."

She gathered her pillow to her and hugged it, "I will Papa..."

She saw his face ease in relief, " 'Tis all I ask."

"Papa...I love you."

His throat stung, tightened, as he nodded, put his hand to his chest, unable to speak, unable to see Brenna's sad smile.


	73. Chapter 73

"What the FUCK did you just say?"

Eidra was taken aback by Fury's reaction. She put her hands on the back of one of the chairs in front of his desk.

Thor frowned, his answer tinged with irritation, "I said we cannot find my brother. We wished to know if he was here on Midgard."

Eidra felt the babies tumble. She inched forward, Jane's hand on her shoulder as she made her way to the seat of the chair.

"Y'all might want to sit down."

Jane took a seat beside Eidra who had begun to tremble but Thor remained standing.

"I thought you were here because of your daughter." Fury came around from behind the desk to stand in front of them.

"No," Eidra saw Fury's face fall, "We were hoping she might know where her father is."

"May we call her?" Jane added.

Fury eyed Thor and crossed his arms, "Eidra, your daughter is missing."

Eidra felt the world start to spin on its axis, heard a shout and was plunged into darkness...

...she coughed, waved her hand before her face, touching something tiny, then another hand. She opened her eyes, looking about to see faces peering down. Two agents, one whom she recognized, "Lily?" Thor and Jane, Fury.

Lily was holding a small bottle in her hand, "Sorry about that, smelling salts are nasty. Are you feeling better?"

Eidra could only shake her head as she began to cry, a hand to her mouth, "Where are Brenna and Loki? Are they together?"

Fury squatted before her chair, "That's just it, we don't know. Brenna took off about five days ago without a trace. We thought she might have gone back home but we didn't exactly have a number we could call you at if you get me."

"Five days?!" Thor shouted, "And no one has found her yet?"

Fury stood up, "No and we're doing everything we can to find her. Maybe you should ask your brother where she is."

Thor bared his teeth, Mjolnir shook in his grasp, "Do not insult me with such base sarcasm."

Fury ignored Thor, turned again to Eidra, "Listen this is very important. Did you and your husband have any big arguments recently? Anything that would make him up and leave, come get Brenna and just waltz off?"

"I do not ken..." Eidra felt the dizziness returning.

Jane patted her hand, "I think he wants to know if you guys weren't getting along."

Eidra tried to smile but it came out a grimace, "We have our quarrels as any couple but we are dedicated to one another. He is my heart," She looked to Thor, "And I his."

"Hey I had to ask. So the question here is are these disappearances coincidental or are they connected in some way."

"What has been done to find Brenna?" Thor was on edge, starting to pace in the confines of the small office.

"Stark has been spearheading the media effort to locate her. You can't turn on one wireless device, phone, tablet, desktop computer without seeing Brenna's face. She's made national news, I watched Good Morning America today and they were talking about her. Stark has paid for countless commercial spots, ads in periodicals like People, Newsweek, Time. Newspapers across the country have full page missing posters in them. Hell he's even gotten her face on milk cartons. If she's out there, she's doing a damn good job of hiding and so is your husband."

Eidra looked up at Thor who was starting for the door, "I am going to the school to speak with the headmistress there."

Fury gestured toward the door, "Be my guest. I don't think you're gonna find out anything more than what we already know."

Thor leaned over to Eidra, "We will find them."

"Thor, they have both been missing for about the same amount of time." Fury said, "This is more than a case of missing persons. I got a bad feeling."

Thor held his reply though he nodded, then he put his hand on Eidra's chair, "I will return."

Martin descended the stairs to the tarmac at JFK airport, stiff from the long flight. He'd watched out the window as they flew over New York, the morning mist off the Hudson softening the sharp angles and dark hues of the city. He'd seen Stark tower, sunlight glinting off the huge letters like a beacon. That was his destination. To hell with finding a hotel, he'd sleep on a park bench if he had to. He was going to fetch a cab and come what may, he was going to be standing before Mister Stark before the day was done.

He pulled his suitcase from the conveyor belt, then making his way through the vast terminal, following the stream of people to a line of yellow taxis waiting outside the doors. He grabbed the door handle of the nearest one, sitting down with his suitcase between his knees, "Stark Tower in New York please."

"Hokay," The driver picked up his two way radio, "JFK to Stark Tower,"

Martin sat back in the seat, watching the traffic. He patted his jacket, heard the crinkle of the letter in his interior pocket and lay his head back to rest. Soon it would all be over.

Brian came bursting through the library doors, startling Chase and the librarian. He skidded to a halt beside the table Chase was sitting at, his laptop before him and bent over gasping for breath.

"Jesus, Bri, what the hell?"

Brian held a hand up, "Hold on dude, havin' a heart attack." he took a deep breath, "Bren's uncle is here."

Chase shoved away from the table, "Thor? Did he say anything about Brenna?"

"I didn't talk to him, man. I just saw him." Brian pulled at Chase's arm, "C'mon he's in Miss Munro's office. I bet they gonna wanna talk to you."

Chase and Brian stood outside the door to Miss Munro's office, listening to the voices within though they were faint.

"Damn, wish he'd speak up. You'd think a guy like that have a big mouth." Brian whispered.

Chase nodded, "Now shut up, I'm trying to hear them."

"Both of them are missing?" Ororo had come around from behind her desk to stand before Thor, "Do you think they're together?"

Thor hefted the hammer into his palm, feeling its weight, "We do not know. I wished to speak with you. Ask if you had any knowledge that might be useful in finding them.'

"I know as much as you do, wait, actually less. I didn't know about her father."

Chase turned to Brian, mouth open.

"They both gone?" Brian squeaked before Chase covered his mouth with his hand

"Geez, you're gonna get us busted, be quiet." Chase hissed.

"They have both been missing roughly the same amount of time. It stands to reason their disappearances may be connected."

Ororo picked up her phone, "Excuse me, I want Logan and Kurt in on this. Do you mind?"

Thor nodded at her, "Be my guest, if they have anything to offer, I wish to hear it."

Brian yanked at Chase's sleeve, "Let's duck into the Staff lounge next door. I don't want Logan catching us creeping. Maybe we be able to hear them better in there."

Chase cracked open the lounge door and peeked in, "Come on, it's empty."

They slipped inside, leaning their ears against the wall bordering Miss Munro's office, waiting.

Mercifully Martin had remembered to exchange money at Heathrow before he'd boarded. He handed the bills to the taxi driver, thanked him and stepped out onto the sidewalk. He craned his neck upward but the words STARK were indistinguishable against the side of the building. Once more on habit, he touched his jacket where the letter sat safe and pushed through the revolving door before him.

The lobby was spartan. There were four plush gray chairs surrounding an immense round black marble table as one walked inside. In the middle of the table sat a crystal vase filled with white lilies. Beyond the waiting area, across the expanse of polished gray marble flooring, sat the receptionist's desk. It looked to be made of the same black marble as the table. Behind it sat a beautiful blond woman, dressed in a smart blue suit dress. The spare decorating, the muted colors, he was sure were deliberate if only to draw attention to the five foot letters spelling "STARK INDUSTRIES" in red neon on the wall behind the woman.

He removed his fedora and held it in his hand as he approached the desk. The woman looked up at him, smiling, "May I help you?"

"I believe you may." Martin fidgeted with the brim of his hat, "I need to speak with Mister Stark."

The blond looked down at the tablet before her, ran her finger down it and tapped, "Do you have an appointment? I have nothing listed for today."

"Ah no, I haven't but I've flown a long way to see him."

The woman smiled wide, "I'm sorry but I'm afraid you'll have to make an appointment to see him. He has strict rules, no unannounced visitors." She returned her attention to the tablet for a moment and then produced a business card which she handed to Martin.

"If you'll call the number on the back and state your reason for the meeting, we'll be happy to set you up but I must warn you, Mister Stark is very busy at this time. You may not get in to see him for at least a month."

In the polished marble reflection of the desk, he could see the red neon letters glaring back up at him. He stuck the card in his suit jacket and leaned over onto the desk, his hands on either side of hers. "It's imperative that I speak with him."

She sat back in her seat, dropping her hands into her lap where he was sure there would be a panic button. "I'm sorry sir."

He had no idea whom he could trust. Unfortunately she was going to force his hand, "If you are able to call him, I suggest you do so. I'm here about the missing girl."

Her face relaxed as she sat forward again, "You and everyone else. You do know about the large reward Mister Stark is offering, don't you?"

"Yes, it means nothing to me."

The woman tapped her finger on the tablet, "Sir, unless you have hard evidence, I would suggest you vacate the premises before I'm forced to call security."

Martin reached into his interior pocket and produced a letter, "Indeed I do."

She made to reach for it but he held it to his chest, "I will give it to Mister Stark if you please."

The woman paused, then tapped the tablet, "Security?"

Martin took his gold spectacles from his head and wiped his brow with his free hand, "Listen, please could you tell Mister Stark? Tell him I have a letter addressed to Brenna's mother."

Two overlarge men in blue security uniforms seemed to appear out of nowhere to flank him.

The receptionist sighed then, "Where did you say you traveled from?"

"Great Britain." He felt the security guards move closer. "Please?"

The woman tapped the tablet, "Mister Stark?"

"Yes?" The voice filled the reception area, "What is it?"

"There's a gentleman here to see you. He says he came all the way from England."

"I don't recall having any appointments this morning, sorry, tell him to make an appointment."

The receptionist rolled her eyes, "I did that, sir. He says he knows where the missing girl is."

There was a pause, "Sure he does, tell him to make an.."

Martin had finally had enough mincing and he spoke up, "I have a letter addressed to her mother. Her name is Eidra."

He heard a smooth voice in the background though he couldn't make out the words then Mister Stark spoke again, "And your name is?"

"Martin Rutledge."

Another short silence as everyone waited, "Shelby, will you send Mister Rutledge up to the penthouse with an escort please?"

The doors of the elevator slid open and Martin stepped out into a large room with sweeping views of Manhattan through large glass windows. A beautiful woman with honey blond hair who reminded him painfully of Anna, stepped up to him with a smile. She was dressed plainly in a T-shirt and jeans. "Pardon my lack of decorum, we weren't expecting anyone today, I'm Miss Potts, Mister Stark's personal assistant. Won't you come in and have a seat?"

She gestured to a long leather couch beside a massive stone fireplace and as he stepped down into the sitting area, he heard Miss Potts dismiss the guard, "Thank you Toby, we'll be fine here."

As the elevator doors slid shut behind the guard, a man Martin knew from the television to be Mister Stark. He walked to the edge of the sitting room and stood there.

"You say your name is Martin Rutledge. You know what that means to me? Squat. What does matter is the answer to the sixty-four thousand dollar question. How do you know Brenna's mother's name? Do you have a child at the school?"

"What school? Oh, you mean the mutant academy, oh my no, you see I have a vested interest in helping you find Brenna."

Tony stepped down into the sitting area and stood before him, "By vested you mean money?"

Martin shook his head, willing the tears to hold their place, "No, I mean the life of someone I hold dear."

He took the letter from his pocket and handed it with a bit of hesitation to Mister Stark who unfolded it and began to read as Martin talked.

"You see, David is a very persuasive man with important connections. He took my Anna, kidnapped her."

"Who?" Pepper interjected.

"My companion. She's all I have. It's just her and I at home. He took her because he knew where I was truly from."

Stark's eyes flitted to him, "England?"

Martin smiled, "Alfheim, so David forced me to travel to Asgard. He told me to deliver the letter to Brenna's mother so she would come here to Earth therefore drawing Brenna away from the school."

Stark folded the letter but didn't return it to Martin, "Jarvis, I want a car in five."

The room resounded with a disembodied voice, "Yes sir."

Stark gestured for Martin to stand up and follow him, "Continue your story, Pepper I want you to ride with Mister Rutledge here to the office. I'll tell Fury we're on our way."

"Well," Martin began again, "I had no choice. I did as I was told. Only when I found where she lived, I didn't encounter her, instead, I was met by Loki."

Stark stopped on his way to the balcony door, "So you're saying Loki got the letter instead?"

"Yes, and he said he was coming here to get Brenna. I can only surmise the worst if she is still missing."

"Mystery solved." Tony muttered as he opened the glass doors, "I'll meet you there."

Martin watched in awe as Tony started to walk into the suit until by the end of the balcony, he was..

"Ironman." Martin gasped, "As I live and breath."

"Come this way, Mister Rutledge,"

He felt Miss Pott's hand on his elbow and followed her into the elevator, terrified and at the same time almost giddy, light. His deed had been a heavy weight on his heart and now he was setting things right. He grinned at Miss Potts as the elevator door closed before them.

They had been talking or rather she had been talking and he had been answering when the TV went blank yet again and she screeched in frustation. "Damn you!" She walked over and slammed the top of the TV with her palm, then hearing footsteps in the corridor and her anger began to boil over. The door swung open and David walked in with a nervous looking young man, skinny, shivering. David had his arm around the boy's shoulders, "This is one of our young patients. He's a low functioning autistic. He's been with us about two years. His name is Cory."

David closed the door behind him, "Cory is your next attempt."

"No!" Brenna crossed her arms, "I refuse to pander to you until you turn on the TV again."

David pushed Cory to one of the chairs at the table, "You'll pander to me or you won't see your father at all." He bent down beside the TV, pulling the plug from the wall as Brenna gasped, rushing at him. He caught her wrists, surprised at her strength when it took all he had to shove her onto her bed.

"I am beginning to think Chase was feeding me a line of bullshit. This had better work."

"Chase does not know what a monster his father is. How cruel can you be? When we are found, you will have no career to speak of!"

The young boy had started to cry. She felt sorry for him but right at this moment, she couldn't stop. Being cooped up here in this room alone, talking to her father when David willed it. Watching him grow sick and weak from the treatment he was receiving. She'd had enough.

David's face had turned crimson. He lifted the young boy by the arm, receiving a yelp for his effort, opened the door and shoved him out into the corridor where Leroy stood. He then turned, grabbing the TV and wheeling it out of the room on its cart.

"NOOO! Please do not do this, I will try, I promise. I need to speak to him. I need to speak to my Papa!" She banged her fists on the door, reaching it as it slid shut muffling her screams.

David strode up the corridor with Cory before him. Leroy pushed the TV. "It's only gonna make her angrier."

"Good," David spat, "She can wail and gnash her teeth all she wishes. I've got to make some phone calls. I want extra guards on. Get Leon back here."

"Mister Wells, we had a deal. My brother stays out of it." Leroy stopped wheeling the TV, stood up.

"Your brother is a tough guard and we need more of them. Leave him at his normal post out by the waiting area if you're worried."

"I don't like it."

David turned to him, "I don't care what you like. I'm paying you twice what you would make in a year. You don't have to like it, you just have to do what I say."

David opened the door at the end of the corridor for Leroy to roll the TV out, "Make the calls."

"Yes sir."

In her room, Brenna sat on the floor in the space where the TV had been. She was trying to slow her breathing down, trying not to panic as she wrapped her arms about herself. As she started to rock gently, she could only wonder now, "Papa, where are you?"


	74. Chapter 74

Martin followed Miss Potts past a small nondescript desk with a long guard sitting behind it. The guard nodded and hit a button, unlocking a door beside him.

"Might I inquire as to our whereabouts?" Martin asked as he followed her through the door and into a brightly lit hallway.

"You may inquire."

Martin raised an eyebrow, "Indeed."

He had to trot to keep up with her as they jumped into an elevator at the far end of the hallway.

"Top secret?"

"Something like that, Mister Rutledge."

Martin fell quiet, gazing at his shoes.

"This woman, Anna. She's being held by this Mister Wells also?"

"So he claims." Martin closed his eyes, "I don't know what I shall do if something has happened to her. I could never forgive myself. I should have come here as soon as I returned to Earth."

She patted his arm, "We'll find them, Anna too."

The door slid open and Martin took a step backwards as he met the steel glare of a man wearing a black patch over one eye.

"Miss Potts? We're waiting for you in the briefing room."

Martin followed them into a large room. There was a long table dominating it with chairs all around. On one side of the room sat a blond woman in a suit holding the hand of an ethereally lovely and very pregnant brunette. Directly opposite them sat Mister Stark, leaning back, hands templed on his stomach.

"Mister Rutledge, please take a seat." The man gestured to a chair, "My name is Nick Fury. Stark tells us you know where Brenna and Loki are. Is that true?"

"I know who has them. As to their whereabouts, I can only surmise."

Fury held up the letter, "Mister Wells is the director of Forest Hills psychiatric hospital outside of Tarrytown. He also has a mansion at the address noted here in the letter. Now you're telling me you handed this letter to Loki personally?"

Martin nodded, "I did."

"You'll excuse me if I don't readily believe you."

Martin looked about the room, noticed the brunette seemed about to jump out of her chair at him, "Whyever not?"

Fury gave a grim smile, "Because Loki isn't a man to threaten. He's got a real bad temper. If you handed him this letter, you'd probably be dead by now."

Martin put his head in his hands, "He was furious. He used the Uruz, the same medallion I told him he must use to bring Eidra back. He opened a portal here to Earth."

"Back? From where?" Fury looked across the table at Eidra who was now standing.

"Martin? Martin Rutledge?" She whispered, "Odin's beard, it is you?"

Martin put a hand to his chest and bowed as best he could, "At your service, Milady, and I beg your forgiveness a thousand times over. I meant no harm, I only wanted Anna back."

Eidra sat down in the chair again, "You were the one who helped restore me? Loki told me of you."

Martin nodded.

"Eidra, the letter was meant for you." Fury handed it to her. She took it with a shaky hand and frowned, "I cannot read Midgardian."

"I had to transcribe the letter because I was sure you wouldn't be able to read it. Thus why I still have the original." Martin slumped in the chair, "And why I came here for your help.." He glanced down the table, "Mister Stark. It was the only place I knew to go."

Stark sat forward, "Well you weren't far wrong, where's ol' Thunder and Lightning?"

"He's at the school right now. I think we should call him in. We're going to need two teams. One at Well's residence and one at the hospital. Remember there are innocent people at that hospital so let's keep the chaos to a minimum."

"Sir, I'd like to volunteer for the mission." The blond was now standing.

"Very well, agent." Fury looked to Stark, "The both of you, come with me. Miss Potts will you see that our guests are comfortable?"

Pepper nodded as Stark winked at her. "Just another day on the job, don't worry." He turned to Eidra, "We'll bring them back."

Chase and Brian were back in the hallway, having been shooed out by one of the teachers who'd caught them with their ears to the wall. He'd threatened to turn them in to Miss Munro but they had apologized and so were reduced to waiting down the hall.

When the door to Miss Munro's office opened, Brian and Chase scrambled around the corner.

"I will return to New York. We will contact you with any further developments."

Kurt was shaking his head, "We vill be ready."

"Please don't exclude us." Ororo added, "We feel responsible for this."

Thor frowned, "You need not feel so. There are some things that are simply beyond our control."

A beep and a hum interrupted them as Ororo took her cell phone from the pocket of her slacks, "Xavier's school, Miss Munro speaking..." As she listened, her eyes widened, "You're serious...when?"

Thor looked to Kurt then to Logan who shrugged and mouthed to Ororo, "Who is it?" but she kept talking.

"Chase? He's here in school...oh my god!..."

Logan rolled his eyes, "Ororo, come on, who the hell are you talking to?"

Ororo covered the mouthpiece and whispered, "Fury," paused, "Yes I'm listening...Thor? He's still here..."

She held out the phone, "He wants to talk to you."

Thor took the phone as Logan poked Ororo, "Okay give, what's going on?"

Ororo moved them away from Thor who was now tensed, growling into the phone.

"They believe they know where Brenna and Loki are, or at least where they might be. It seems Chase's father is responsible."

"Responsible for vat?" Kurt asked, his tail whipping back and forth in agitation.

"Brenna's disappearance."

Brian followed Chase down the hallway, "Dude, wait up! Hold on!"

Chase stopped, leaned forward against the wall, panting, "They gotta be wrong. Someone is setting him up!"

Brian kept an eye on the hall behind them, "Why don't you turn round and ask them what's going on?"

"No!" Chase grabbed Brian by the arm, "I'll pay for the gas." He looked at his cell phone, "It's one now. My father should be at the hospital. You gotta bring me there, please!"

Brian winced, "Ah man, and what if they're right? We gonna be in the middle of a great big fuckarow."

"Brian, I'll never ask you for anything ever again, please?"

"Shit, being your best friend is hazardous to my health."

Thor handed the phone to Ororo. "I suggest you find Chase and keep him close by."

"Hey," Logan said as Thor turned to leave, "I want in."

"Ja, ve are ready."

"I will inform Fury."Thor nodded, "We do not know what we are going to encounter."

David put a hand to his mouth as he set the phone down on his desk. The extra guards had been a good call. "We've already afforded you assistance in achieving your goal, David." Eric had told him, "I said it was up to you to maintain control afterward."

David had begged him to send a couple people from his group just for extra protection but Eric had chuckled, "Garrett, are you willing to return to Mister Wells employ?" David had listened to a few choice words in the background, "Ah see? There isn't much in it for him. Azazel is away on another...mission for me and I am unwilling to ask the others. I'm afraid, as much as I want to help you, for Annie's sake of course, I've done all I can. The metal shielding alone was worth a fortune."

David sneered at the phone, likely Annie had told Eric to let David crash and burn.

Then there was Brenna. She'd been defiant, angry. He'd decided to take the TV away to teach her a lesson but time was running out. How long could he keep them here before someone slipped up?

Maybe he should return Anna to Martin on the promise he keep his mouth shut.

There was a knock on his office door and he looked up, "Come in."

It was Leroy, "Doc, I need to talk to you."

"Have a seat."

Leroy sat on the edge of the chair before David's desk, "I brought in Leon and four more guards for the corridor. Brenna has started to scream and pound on her door. I think she's trying to make herself heard. We should move her. Leon was asking me what was going on. I gave him a bullshit story but I don't think he's buying completely into it. And Loki? For a god, he seems pretty human."

David sat back in his chair, "What do you mean?"

Leroy rubbed the back of his neck, "Well he's real sick. He won't even drink water. I mean even if he is what he says, a body can only take so much."

David stood up and looked out the window behind the desk at the hospital parking lot far below. He had been watching Loki.

"I want you to move Brenna to one of the containment cells. She's had it far too easy. I'll be talking to the god myself."

Brenna heard the door click and opened her eyes to see Leroy, "Stand up, let's go."

Brenna remained on the bed, "Where are you taking me?"

"I'm taking you to where you'll be in a minute, now get up." Leroy reached for her and she held up her hands,

"I can unheal things, people. Did David tell you? I am sure there are places on your body you'd rather weren't broken again."

Leroy grinned, pulled a short box with two prongs from his front shirt pocket, "This is a Taser. Before you can lay a finger on me, I can drop you like a hot rock with fifty thousand volts. Now if you're not sure what a volt is, come at me."

Brenna stared at the weapon, yelping when he hit the button on the side and it crackled to life.

"Now stand up and come with me."

Brenna stood slowly and walked out into the hallway.

"To the left," Leroy pushed at her back, passing door after door until Leroy said, "Stop."

Leroy ran his I.D card across a panel beside the door. When it slid open, Brenna dropped to her knees. She had been dreaming of this place all along and the dim interior with the lit vent overhead was etched in her memory with terrifying clarity.

"Please take me back to my room! Please!" She cried, scrambling backwards as he reached down for her, "Do not make me go in there!"

Leroy hauled her to her feet, the Taser still in his other hand, "I'll knock you on your ass and toss you in there if I gotta. Orders are orders."

She planted her hands on either side of the door, "NO!" but Leroy's bulk was too great. With the shove of his shoulder, her arms gave way and she sprawled onto her hands and knees on the hard floor. She leaped to her feet just in time to see the door shut, then dropped down to the floor, legs crossed, eyes closed to her nightmare.

Loki lay on the cot listening to the rattle of his chest as he breathed. The ague had gripped him, draining him of all energy as he suffered through the chills and the fever. Leroy had brought the food tray and put it beside his cot but all he could do was look at it. He doubted he could even keep the food down were he of a mind to eat it.

He knew he had lung fever. He'd seen many of the old ones and some of the young on Asgard die of it. He pulled the blanket tight over him as another chill hit. His shivering fair shook the cot and he lay there for a long time in such a state until he felt the warmth start to spread again. He threw the blanket off him, feeling the aches throughout his body. Finally the fever sent him into a light doze where he drifted into fitful dreams...

...that he was back home with Eidra. She was standing behind him, watching him tan the hide of a deer. He had lashed it to a frame and was scraping the hair off.

"New booties for the babies." Eidra teased him.

"Eidra shall you use the entire skin for booties, or might I have a small corner to use for my own?"

He received no response. Turning around to look at her, he found she was gone. He put down the scraper and headed for the barn door.

As he stepped outside into the sunshine, he knew something wasn't right. He was standing in his fields in Rialo. In the distance, he could see Eidra walking behind the plow, Lightning's reins in her hands. He started running towards her but she seemed to grow farther away, it was taking so long to reach her but reach her he finally did.

"Eidra what are you doing? Give me the reins." Loki reached for her hands and was so horrified to see his own pass through, he backpedaled as she passed by.

He trotted to keep up with her, now shouting her name, "Eidra!" until he was even with her , catching a good look at her face then.

Gray streaks lined her brunette hair, her face had aged though it was still beautiful, lending her a handsome dignity.

"My heart," he whispered.

She stopped, pulling up the hem of her skirt to wipe the sweat from her brow as she squinted up at the sun. She then put her hand to her throat and drew the Uruz from within her bodice, holding it, closing her eyes as she pressed it to her lips.

Loki turned, stumbled to the dirt, rose and started to run from the scene, panic constricting his chest, making it hard to breathe...

….He flailed at the covers, seized in a fit of coughing as he rose to his elbows, emotion from the dream following him into consciousness. He forced himself to sit up, swung his legs over the floor. "Brenna?"

No answer.

He hadn't heard from her in so long, he was starting to panic though he knew David needed her more than he needed him. Maybe he was keeping her deliberately from him so she would feel alone, acquiesce to his wishes.

He leaned back against the wall. He was beginning to lose hope. He lay back down to wait, for it was all he could do.


	75. Chapter 75

David opened the door to Loki's room. Stepping inside, he walked to the cot, nudged it once, twice with his knee before Loki opened his eyes.

"You're looking a bit out of sorts."

Loki closed his eyes. David kicked the cot, harder now.

"I think if I let Brenna see you now, she might change her mind about helping me. What if I promised to get you medical treatment?"

He kept his eyes closed, "Why did you take her from me?"

"To teach her a lesson. People must be trained just as animals. Conditioned to respond to stimuli. Pavlov did it with dogs. He trained them to salivate at the sound of a bell because they associated the bell with food. I want to train your daughter to perform as a way to preserve your safety."

Loki chuckled thickly spasming as he began to cough.

"I don't see the humor in this," David bowed low over him.

Loki took a deep breath, "Do you not?" He gathered what strength he could, pushing himself up from the cot to stand face to face with David, the effort making his heart race, "She cannot do what you want her to do because it is beyond her ability."

"I don't believe you," David snarled.

Loki grinned wide, "Then why are we still playing this game? Why have you not announced to the world you have discovered a glorious cure for insanity?"

"Your daughter is the one playing the game!" David shouted even as he backed away from Loki. "I think she lacks the proper motivation!" and David was suddenly shoving Loki back to the cot. He spun on his heels, rage making his hands tremble as he passed the card before the panel beside the door and strode out into the corridor.

Loki watched the door slide shut and put his hands to his face, the last of his strength sapped, too exhausted to scream.

As David stepped off the elevator on the fourth floor he nearly floored Doctor Egan who was standing there on the other side of the doors. "There you are!"

David felt his facade start to crack as he yelled, "Yes, here I am." and maneuvered around him, heading for his office, "It's after five, why are you still here?"

"To talk to you."

"I don't have time," He muttered as he strode past Julia sitting at her desk, Egan following close behind.

"You'd better make time if you want to keep your position."

David was ready to tell Egan he could shove his position up his ass but he was determined to carry out what he'd meant to do from the start with Brenna so he steeled himself and turned to Egan.

"Very well Robert, I'm all ears."

Egan crossed his arms, "Well that's a first. Inside your office if you please. This is a private matter, sorry Julia."

Julia smiled and nodded as they closed the door behind him unable to hear her mumble, "Up yours."

"And you were two weeks late with the proposal as well!" Egan leaned over David's desk, "Combined with the numerous consultations you failed to attend, the evaluations you've missed with personnel. The procedure changes you've yet to review, I've recommended to the board that you be temporarily suspended from your position."

Egan sat heavily in the chair behind him, "David you used to be on the ball all the time. You've been a good director but after the accident with that patient, you..." Egan clapped his hands together, "You stopped caring. Maybe you just need some time off, you know, to deal with what happened..."

"When is it effective?" David was gripping the arms of his chair so hard, he'd begun to sweat.

"What?"

"When is my suspension effective?"

Egan looked down at the carpet between his feet, "You have the weekend to respond to the suspension or accept it." He sat forward, "You're expected to appear before the board on Monday at nine a.m for the official order."

Egan stood from his chair, "I'm sorry David. You'll get back on track, I'm sure of it. We're going to take the special projects section away so you won't have to deal with it anymore. Then you can focus on the more important matters in Forest Hill."

Before Egan walked out the door, he extended his hand out to David, "Good luck, Dave, and I mean it."

David kept his hands planted and slowly Egan withdrew, "I've gotta get going home, I'll be late for supper. I'll talk to you Monday."

For a long time David couldn't move, his mind raging, racing. Even when Julia poked her head in to say she was leaving for the day, he could only nod.

Finally he sat forward, pulled out the bottom drawer of his desk. He supposed he'd known all along what it was going to take. He stood up, slipping the metal cord cuffs in the pocket of his pants, the dagger in the interior of his jacket pocket and walked from his office. When he was finished, he would return to clean out his desk.

Loki had crawled to the floor, gotten onto his knees and rocked back unsteadily to his heels. The fever had begun to visit delirium upon him. At one point he'd heard Chris's voice telling him to rise. He'd opened his eyes to see Chris standing by the bedside holding out his hand and he'd half laughed before his tone had sombered and he'd said in a weary voice, "I am sorry my friend, my path must be different."

He'd closed his eyes then opened them to an empty room.

Now he wished again to center himself but found his thoughts straying to things of utmost importance. The safety of Brenna, Eidra and the new babies that would arrive before harvest, his brother and the weight he must bear in ruling Asgard. Thor had been right, he realized with a happy heart, the throne would not have suited him. It would have robbed him of his very happiness, his family.

The door clicked and slid open. Still Loki kept his eyes shut until David pushed him with the toe of his shoe. "Stand up."

Loki put his palms on his knees. If only he could have a drink of water. Perhaps it would clear his mind. "I doubt I could stand without help."

David knelt down behind him and took out the metal cord cuffs, "Put your hands behind your back."

"Why." Even as he asked, felt David draw first one hand, then the other behind him. He felt metal bind one wrist then the other.

"One more gift from my friends. The strongest metal known to man. I'm sure it will hold you."

David stood and pulled him to a stand. Loki groaned, stumbled forward before David caught him.

"This is only a precaution."

"Where are you taking me?"

David steered him towards the door, "Where you want to be. I'm taking you to see Brenna."

They stepped out into the corridor where Loki expected to see Leroy. The corridor was empty. As they turned left and started to walk, Loki flexed his arms outward ever so slightly. He felt the metal cord give immediately and he smiled. Even in his wretched state, it would be easy to break free.

As they neared the end of the corridor, David pulled him to a halt and turned him to his left before a metal door.

Brenna had heard footsteps minutes ago and now they were approaching her door. She stood up, her heart hammering in her chest, willing the footsteps to continue but they stopped.

Loki stared at the door for fully thirty seconds before he burst out laughing. All this time they had been yards apart. They had been in the same building. Loki felt his adrenaline start to flow. As soon as he laid eyes on Brenna, he was going to break the metal cord from his wrists, turn and rip David's head from his shoulders. He would beg Brenna's forgiveness later.

"Have you seen your daughter perform these miracles my son told me about?"

Loki shook his head, he was starting to feel dizzy, "No, I confess I have not..." he sneered, "But then neither have you."

"Are you a praying man?" David growled in his ear.

"Not to your God."

David chuckled, "Then I suppose you pray to yourself, after all."

Loki shook his head, stared hard at the door, willing it to open.

"You might want to start praying your daughter wasn't lying."

Loki heard a flutter of movement, tensed, ready...and felt the blade plunge into his right side, skitter between his ribs, jerk, withdraw and strike again. The excruciating pain making him slump back against David like a lover, his mouth open, legs unhinge. And then he heard a beep as the door slid open...

And David shoved her father forward into the room where he dropped to his knees then to his side as Brenna backed away from him, too terrified even to scream.

"Now this is proper motivation. You'd better hurry."

David wiped the blade of the dagger on his jacket and slipped it back into the pocket as the door slid closed seconds before Brenna slammed into it, screaming, "Wait, please, wait!"

The sounds of choking, gurgling spun her around and she dropped to her knees beside her father. "No, NO!" She put her hands over the spot where the blood was pumping in a warm gush from the two stab wounds. She could hear an odd whistling as she closed her eyes and tried to concentrate, to focus. She started to sob, trying to see the damage, so many torn blood vessels, an aorta, the lung, the torn tissue.

"Papa, please hold on." she wailed, looked up at his face, mouth open, blood trickling from the corner into a small pool at his cheek. Struggling for breath and she closed her eyes, seeing the nightmare in her mind's eye.

He heard her crying, wanted to hold her and tell her it would be alright. It was so hard to breath. Eidra, she would be alone. He wanted to tell her he loved her, that he always had. Pain, bright in the center of his chest as he worked uselessly at the metal cuffs curved him backwards in agony. He could hear her calling him Papa, even then a sweet sound. His heart had started an odd staccato in his chest and he felt fear. What was waiting for him? He fervently wished he'd taken Chris's hand. Another spasm as he listened to her scream...and then there was only the struggle for air, breathing in, breathing out, breathe in, breathe out, breathe in...

She felt it, like the hawk so many lifetimes ago. The ebb of life, felt him shudder beneath her hands as she tried to stay upright. There was so much blood. She looked at his face, his eyes sightless and she screamed, "PAPA NO! PLEASE STAY!"

She could see nothing, as if a door had closed. She could no longer see his injuries, the damage. The blood had ceased to push between her fingers. She leaned forward over him sobbing, "I am so sorry. Forgive me, Papa." and she let the rage start to build in her, the hatred, the anger, grief coming together in one powerful surge as she roared to the ceiling.

Suddenly it felt as if she was afire, lit from within, it was agonizing, different than anything she'd felt before. Like the ebb she'd felt had reversed. She felt as if hooks were being pulled down her arms, through muscle and sinew. Somewhere in her mind was a voice telling her, stop resisting, let it go. It was as if a light had been thrown, only with the brilliance of a thousand suns and she felt mind sliding forward, past the damage, fusing with his body, with his mind. She knew to break contact with him would be devastating.

She began to see scenes in her mind, running like old movies, first slowly, she could see a small baby still before her, her mother looking up crying. Her uncle yelling at her from far away, the roar of a waterfall. Her mother before a fire leaning in for a kiss and she realized she was seeing his memories, connecting with his mind. More memories, Her mother holding her, rocking her. Then the images started to flicker faster. Her Uncle Chris holding up a hare, the back of her mother's neck as she turned and smiled, Asgard laid out before her sparking in the night. She felt the blood begin to flow again beneath her fingers, then diminish until it was a trickle, droplets. She watched in wonder. There was no hesitation, each wound healing, every vessel, aorta, fusing together all at once and she felt him take a breath...

It was heading toward sunset. Adam busied himself wiping down the crystal in the china cabinet. He detested idleness and until his employer returned home for the day, he was stuck making work for himself.

The smartphone in the pocket of his slacks began to beep.

"He's a bit early today," Adam muttered as he withdrew the phone and tapped the screen. What he saw on the video feed streaming across the screen started him running towards the basement stairs as he dialed the phone in his hand.

David looked at the number on the screen, "Adam?"

"Sir, we have company at the mansion."

It sounded as though Adam was out of breath.

David stopped dropping papers into the box on his couch, "What do you mean?"

"Black vans...shit!"

"What?"

No answer at first, just panting, then, "They've broken the front door in. Sir, I think they're looking for..."

David hung up the phone and picked up the two way radio, "Leroy I want you upstairs in two minutes."

Leroy looked at the box on the couch as he trotted inside the office. "What's up?"

David reached into the box and pulled out a revolver, making Leroy jump back, "What the hell?"

"We've gotta get out of here. Adam called. There are agents at my house, it's only a matter of time before they figure out I'm not there."

He handed the revolver to Leroy. "I want you to take care of the two loose ends in special projects."

"You're kidding right? Murder them? Loki and Brenna?"

"I've taken care of Loki. I mean Anna and Brenna. That's what the revolver is for. If you use yours, they'll trace it."

Leroy watched him pack more stuff into the box, "And then what, wait for the feds?"

David took him by the shoulders, "I'm going to pull the Escalade around back at the old service entrance. When you're finished, meet me outside and we're gone."

Leroy handed him back the gun, "Not unless Leon goes with me. I'm not leaving him behind to deal with the bullshit."

David waved his hands, "Whatever, just be ready to run."

Leroy took the gun and slipped it into the front of his belt, "For the record sir, after we're far from here, I'm taking my severance pay and resigning."

David frowned, "I expected nothing less."

The metal coil rebounded off the wall with a clang and Loki sat up, dazed. "Papa, you were...I..."

He felt as if he could run to Asgard and he smiled, "Astrid said the caterpillar could not become a butterfly without transformation."

"I do not ken?"

"I will explain later. Now we must break out of this cell." He stood, his feet slipping a bit and he grimaced as he leaned down to help Brenna up.

"Papa, I feel so weak. I do not think I can run."

"I will carry you if I must. Can you break this panel?"

She walked up to the panel beside the door, felt his hand at her back, was transported with joy as she put her hand to the metal.

Leroy had advised Leon to stay at the reception area until he called him. He would explain nothing more but to tell him to keep his gun ready.

Leroy walked past Brenna's room. He would take care of the space case first. It would be easier to put her out of her misery.

Brian and Chase burst through the lobby doors and to the elevators where Chase punched the number four.

"Maybe we should take the stairs? It's quicker."

"Aw dawg, you know stairs ain't my thing."

Chase shoved him, "We gotta get to my father. You do what you want, I'm taking the stairs."

He ran to the stairwell and Brian, ignoring the shouts of the receptionist, shook his head as he trotted after him.

David tossed the box into the back seat of the Escalade, jumped into the driver's seat, put the SUV in gear and headed out of the parking lot.

The snap and twang of metal, the sound of a door sliding open made Leroy turn, expecting Leon to be right behind him. He was instead staring at the face of the man he'd been expecting to find dead in his daughter's arms. He looked as if he'd stepped from the fires of hell, teeth bared, running towards him. Leroy brought up his gun and fired, saw the bullet hit Loki's left arm as he roared. Brenna's shocked face as she stood rooted was the last thing Leroy saw before Loki's hand reached the side of his head and crushed his skull against the metal wall, dropping his lifeless body to the carpet.

David saw lights coming up the drive and tried to slow his speed down. Nothing out of place, just going home. Until the lights swerved into his path. He banked hard right, skidding the nose of the Escalade around, feeling the bumper clip one of the cars and he hit the pedal to the floor. He would take the service road around the back of the hospital. Through the dust from the road up ahead, he was suddenly aware of a figure standing in the road with something held above his head. He had seconds to realize who the figure was before something silver flashed in his headlights and struck the hood of the SUV catapulting it end over end. David caught a flutter of red cloth, blond hair before his head hit the ceiling and he blacked out.

Loki turned towards Brenna to take her hand. They would continue through the hallways until they found a way out. As he made to face her, she screamed.

"Don't fucking move!" Leon cried, his arm around Brenna's neck, his revolver drawn and pointing into her side, "Don't even breathe."

With the arm about her neck, he reached for the walkie talkie at his shoulder, "Security assistance, code red, special projects."

"I would let her go if I were you." Loki snarled.

"Papa," She rasped, "Run."

But Loki had started towards Leon, the only way he was leaving this place was if his daughter was at his side. He could hear footsteps in the hall behind the door Leon had come out of.

"I'm telling you, stop moving man!" Leon cried.

"My daughter has a special skill." Loki murmured, "I would suggest you let her go."

"Fuck you." It was then that he saw Leroy's body, "Leroy?"

Brenna brought her hands up to Leon's arm and he screeched, his arm dropping away from her as he grabbed his hand in agony, the old football fracture in his wrist making him drop the gun. The door behind him slid open and four guards raced into the hallway.

"Stand down!"

Brenna had been pushed behind Loki as soon as he reached her and now he crouched down, ready to fight.

The door at the other end of the hallway began to glow bright red,

"What the hell?"the guard who'd spoken first peered behind Loki. As they turned to look behind them, the door blew inward. Loki shoved Brenna against the wall, then hearing the whir of machinery and the heavy footsteps, he looked up to see Stark, his hand pointed down the corridor at the guards. Behind him, Brenna could see Professor Logan and Professor Wagner in their black uniforms and she started to cry with relief.

"I think I'd drop my weapons if I were you." Tony's voice was hollow, metallic as the guards put their guns on the carpet and held their hands in the air.

Tony turned to Loki and though he couldn't see his face behind the red and gold helmet, he could hear the smile in his voice, "There now isn't it more fun to be a good guy?"


	76. Chapter 76

They walked out of the hallway through the broken door into the twilight where Loki saw a few yards distant a circle of black vans around a black SUV upside down on its back. His brother was standing beside a man with his hammer raised and Loki could only surmise it was the driver. When he realized who it was, he began to run.

Chase and Brian jumped step after step on their way back down the stairs. They had watched from Chase's father's office as Thor had flipped the SUV, Ironman alighting on the front lawn of the hospital as staff began to run outside to see what was happening.

"Damn, it don't look good." Brian huffed as they burst through the lobby doors into the night and saw someone running across the lawn at the SUV.

Loki heard Brenna call out to him but all he could see was David ready to turn around for the handcuffs an agent had in her hands.

He struck David in the chest, his hands coming up to David's temples, "I told you I would see you dead!" He roared.

"Loki NO!" Thor cried, followed by a thump behind him and a voice,

"Come on, remember that little talk we just had back there about good guys? You have to stand down."

Loki was shaking with rage, the urge to twist David's skull about on his neck near to erotic. He was gasping, pressing his fingers into David's flesh as he began to whimper, "I wanted to help people, I swear."

Kurt had come beside Brenna and now had his arm around her shoulders, "Loki, is dis vat you want Brenna to see?"

"He's right," Tony had moved closer, "Let him go,"

From down the lawn they heard a scream, "NO!"

Brenna turned to see Chase racing across the grass, skidding to a halt beside Tony, "Don't do it, please!"

Loki heard Chase and he turned to look at him, "You claim to love my daughter?"

Chase backed up a step, "Yes, but he's my father."

"Brother, please." Thor put his hand on Loki's shoulder, "He will face justice."

But it was Brenna's voice loosed his hands. "Papa,"

Loki backed away from David who looked at Chase, "Son, I am so..."

"No," Chase had withdrawn farther, "No, you can't fix this with a word. Dad, you're a sick man." Chase felt Brenna's hand on his shoulder, "This is unforgivable."

David nodded and Chase looked away as a tear rolled down David's cheek.

Loki stroked Brenna's hair as he stared at the interior wall of the van. The lights were almost too bright so used had he been to the dim lights of the cells. Brenna stirred, snuggled closer and sighed. This newfound intimacy was foreign to him, not altogether unpleasant. After they had taken David away and the agents began to move through the hospital, Tony had suggested they hop into one of the vans and wait. Brenna had gotten in, put her head in his lap and promptly fallen asleep. He believed if anyone disturbed her, he would strangle them.

She had restored him back to life. He had been lost and she had restored him. The connection they shared now was unmistakeable. When he had been about to crush David's skull, he had heard her not only with his ears but with his mind, had heard her think, "What about Mama?" and it had stopped him.

He smiled as she grunted and shifted position. He took a deep breath, amazed once again. David had been right though he would never know. Not only had she brought him back, she had cured him of the lung fever. She was special.

He bit his lip. It frightened him, she could restore life to the dead, bestow immortality as it were. If ever Midgardians believed in the gods, here was a true goddess. He feared David would not be the last man attempting to take her were her power revealed to all.

And still it gave him faith, for were his union with Eidra an abomination as the Alfari believed, would they have made such a wonder as Brenna? He caressed her cheek with his thumb, felt her smile.

The rear door of the van swung open. Loki turned to see Lily stepping inside. "How are you feeling?"

She sat down on the bench seat opposite him.

"Would you believe me ere I said I was happy?"

Lily nodded, "I know I would be. You look like hell, may I?" She leaned forward and he lifted the side of his bloodstained hospital scrubs.

"Not even a scar. Incredible." She sat back, "I don't suppose anyone told you Eidra is back at S.H.I.E.L.D."

Loki put his hand atop his head, "Odin's beard, that woman shall gray my hair quicker than any madman."

Lily waved at him, "Oh stop, she does what she does for the same reason you do, because you love each other. She said she went back to the manor house, found your horse there and rode to the palace. Even Thor couldn't keep her in Asgard." Lily reached into the pocket of her jacket, "Hold out your hand."

Loki did so. Lily opened hers and Loki felt the round smooth disc. He held the Uruz up and smiled.

"Tony said you'd get the dagger back when you got to the office, just a precaution in case you..."

"Had another mental breakdown.." Came a voice from the rear of the van. Tony stepped into the back and sat beside Lily.

Loki tilted his head, "Where is your armor?"

"In the front seat, neat little package it folds into, why? Don't tell me you're planning to have a throwdown."

Loki chuckled, "Indeed? I owe you a great debt, metal man."

Tony sat back, elbowed Lily and folded his arms, "I think you do but we can hammer out the reciprocal details later, you did say something about farm tours at one point didn't you?" He paused, looked Loki over, "You look like you just stepped out of a concentration camp, buddy. We're going to have to get you cleaned up. Might want to do that first, unless you wanna send your wife into labor, but that's your choice."

"Tell me, how did you find me here?"

"Your friend Martin. He came to New York. Told me everything that had happened and where you might be. We secured David's mansion first then our team took over the hospital. His companion, Anna, is on her way to the hospital. She was a bit worse off than you."

Brenna stretched with a shudder and pushed herself up to sit, rubbing her eyes. "You should have told me there were people here, Papa."

"You were asleep, hush."

Tony held out his hand to Brenna, "I'm honored to meet a bona fide miracle worker."

"Mister Stark, you've met me before." Brenna giggled as she shook his hand.

"Well that was before I knew you could resurrect the dead. Now I'm twice honored."

Lily stood. "We're going to roll in a few minutes. Mister Stark, do you want to take one of the cars?"

Tony looked at Loki, "Naw, I'll ride with Destructo." He slapped Loki's knee and grinned.

As Lily reached the rear of the van, Thor appeared and stepped up inside, making way for Lily.

"Brother," He stopped, "The gods wept, now that I see you in the light..!"

"He looks like crap, I know. We're going to fix that." Tony waved to the seat beside him, "Stay for the ride?"

Thor sat down, reached across the aisle and clasped Loki's hand in his, "We thought we had lost you."

"You could not be so lucky."

"Papa!" Brenna chided him, "Do not say such things."

Tony laced his hands behind his head, "You know, a year ago I would have agreed with you, but now...maybe, just maybe, there's a glimmer of hope for you." He held out his hand fingers slightly apart, "A smidgen."

Loki suddenly felt exhausted and he leaned his head back against the wall of the van, "I wish to see Eidra."

"You will."

He felt the van rumble to life and he closed his eyes as he felt Brenna's head on his shoulder. The ordeal was finally over.

Loki stood in the shower, letting the water pound away the filth of...what had Tony said? Seven days they'd been missing. He leaned forward, a hand to the wall, the other drifting to his side. No scar, Lily had said, no evidence whatsoever of what had happened. And yet it had. Tony was right. Brenna was a miracle. He knew he would not be able to hide her away from the world. She would soon be sixteen seasons. She was a woman. When they returned to Asgard, the first thing he was going to do would be to bring her to the palace and enlist her in combat training.

He hung his head. Had she been prepared, perhaps she could have fought her way free of her captors. There was much he would need to amend.

He turned the water off, stepped out of the shower and grabbed the towel on the sink before him. As he entered the bedroom of the suite he'd been given to change in, he saw a suit lying out on the bed with a note. He picked it up and read it, "Now try not to lose this one...Tony"

Brenna and Lily were waiting in the hallway for him. "Papa, you look so much better." She reached her arms about his neck and hugged him. He patted her back, embarrassed at such an affectionate display before Lily but then Brenna was standing back. "Tony gave me a pair of slacks and a shirt. He said it was much more presentable. I told him my mother has seen me caked in mud with twigs in my hair in a long shirt."

"Stark is all about style." Lily interjected, "Come on, Eidra is waiting."

Eidra's back was sore. The babies had been restless, mirroring her emotions. She had been brought to a more comfortable room overlooking the city but she paid little attention to the view. Every movement outside the door made her jump so that she wanted to scream. All she wanted to do was take Loki and Brenna and return home. She missed Cait and Fen dearly.

A knock at the door made her whirl about to see Fury open the door and step to the side. Brenna came rushing in first, "Mama!"

"My lamb, my baby!" Eidra threw her arms about Brenna's neck, "Oh my, you've lost so much weight! My dearest child. We will fix that."

"So much has happened, Mama. I have so much to tell you." But Brenna let her go and stepped aside as Loki walked up to her.

Eidra put her hand to her mouth, "My heart!" the other at his cheek, "What did they do to you?"

Loki wiped a tear from her cheek, "Let us speak of it later, alone." He leaned closer to her, whispering in her ear, "Take me home."

She closed her eyes as she felt his lips brush the skin at her jaw, "My prince."

Loki stood upright, turning to Brenna he saw Tony and Thor standing beside Fury. He gestured to Brenna, "Come, it is time to return to Asgard."

But Brenna stood there, "Papa, I have to finish school."

Loki shook his head, "You have no need to finish school here on Midgard." He saw Tony turn to Thor.

Brenna stepped back, "Yes I do. I have almost finished the year. I have tests coming up that I must take or I cannot advance to the next grade level. You do not ken."

Loki could feel the old irritation rising to the surface but he fought to keep his voice level, "I ken the ordeal we have just been through happened because you were here on Midgard."

"Why? Don't you think she'd be just as important on Asgard?" Tony strode over to Brenna.

"What do you mean?" Eidra took Loki's arm, "What are you speaking of?"

"On Asgard she would be better protected! She would not be left to wander off alone!"

"Hey wait a minute," Tony put his hand up, "Didn't she run away from Asgard in the first place? What went wrong there? Did you forget to lock her in her room that night?"

Loki felt his anger overtaking him, made worse by the fact that he knew Tony was right. Where would she be safe? Would she ever be safe?

"In Asgard, I could better watch over her."

"Brenna is not coming home with us? My lamb?" Eidra walked around Loki and took Brenna's hands in hers, "I cannot bear this."

"You see!" Loki cried, "Think of your mother if nothing else."

"I want to finish my schooling! I want to..." She always forgot the word, "..graduate."

"What about a compromise?" came a voice behind them. Ororo was standing in the doorway.

"Brenna listen, if you need work to bring with you, I can provide you with it. You've just come through an ordeal that would break most women. Your family needs you right now. Why not take a break, just for a couple of weeks. Then you can return in time for finals."

"He will not let me return." She pointed to her father, "He will devise a way to keep me in Asgard."

Loki felt the color rise to his face, he had been thinking the same thought just before she uttered it. "I admit it would be painful to let her return."

"I will go with you if you promise, here before everyone, to let me return for finals."

Loki frowned. He was losing the battle. "And after these finals, you will return to Asgard for the summer months as we spoke of."

He could hear her thought "Oh shit." and had to suppress a smile as she looked down at her feet.

"Promise?" She held out her hand.

Loki clasped hers in return, "Promise."

"I'm witness to it." Tony clapped him on the back, then aside to Brenna, "If he reneges on it, I can get you a good lawyer."

"Now may we go home?" Thor sighed.

Brenna nodded, "We may...oh!"

"What now?" Eidra sighed.

"What of Chase?"

Loki looked at Tony who nodded, "I will inform Mister Wells that you've taken a short sabbatical home. I'm going to look into getting him a job here in the city for the summer. Start him off on a career perhaps. Who knows. He'll be fine, I'm sure he'll...ken."

"Tell him I love him."

Tony saw Loki grit his teeth, "Will do, kid. See you soon."

"Let us try this again," Thor stood from the doorway. "May we go home?"

Loki took Eidra's hand, the other at Brenna's back, "Yes."

Helgi heard the wagon rattling down the road before she saw it and she stood in the dooryard, a load of firewood in her arms, watching until she could make out Eidra and Loki. She dropped the firewood to the ground, running to the door of the house and flinging it open, "THEY ARE BACK!"

Loki helped Eidra from the wagon while Brenna jumped down from the side, met by Helgi's wide open arms. "Oh my poppet! You are home!"

Sally came rushing out of the house with Ingrid, Fen and Gunnar right behind, "Papa, Mama!" Fen tackled Loki's waist but for a second until he spied Brenna, "Bren!"

He leaped into her arms, "Little worm!" she gasped, "The worm is not so little anymore."

Gretten came outside, "At last you have come home. I was about to seek employment elsewhere."

Loki grasped Gretten's hand heartily, "You will have plenty to cook for, you have my word."

He herded everyone inside the manor, stopping at the entrance to feel the stone beneath his hand. Never had home felt so comfortable before as it did now.

The house was quiet. Brenna had promised to make Fen go to bed after they were done talking but Loki and Eidra had decided to indulge them as they retired to their bedchamber. As he curved his body behind hers, draped his arm over her belly, he felt the tears finally come. Eidra turned, holding him to her, soothing him with soft words until at last he lay quiet, tracing figures on her belly with his finger.

"Brenna is the affirmation of all that is right between us." He whispered to her, "We have created a miracle."

"All of our children are miracles, my heart." Eidra curled a lock of his hair around her finger, "She is special."

" How will we keep her safe?"

Eidra drew him closer, felt him kiss her neck and she closed her eyes, "We will teach her, to defend herself as you said. We will give her the Uruz so she may always be able to come home, but we must let her live her life."

"I dreamed of you when I was ill." His kisses were numbing her thoughts.

"Of what did you dream?" she murmured, reaching beneath the sheets, laughing as he groaned.

"Dream?...ah, of the babies, of you without me. I was so afraid..."

She led him to her. She knew she must be careful, Clotho had cautioned her at his last visit, but tonight she would have her husband and all the love they felt for each other to transport her, carry her from the thought that she would ever be without him again.

She lay there after their coupling, holding him, her dark prince, her savior, her husband as she looked out the window at the moon. So much had passed, so much was yet to come. New life, the planting season, Brenna's ceremony. She pulled him closer as contentment closed her eyes, drawing her down into her dreams.

End.


	77. Chapter 77

Epilogue

"He is going to break his neck." Loki muttered as he leaned against the rails of the paddock.

Eidra lifted Bryn, who'd started to fuss, to her shoulder and started to pat his back. Behind her, she heard another whimper, "Of course Astrid cannot be left out."

Helgi had given Astrid her knuckle to worry, "Of course not, why should brother have all the attention?"

A plainative curse was heard across the paddock as Chase hit the dirt once more and the others laughed. Blackberry shook her head and pawed the ground as if to challenge him as Brenna gave him her hand to get up. "You must be gentle with her."

"Where have I heard that before?" He grunted.

"That horse be whipping yo' ass." Brian laughed.

Sophie nudged Brenna, "Get up there and show him how it's done."

Brenna rolled her eyes but she was smiling, "If I must."

Loki watched the teens with no small measure of glee. Across the field, he could see Tony and Pepper walking arm in arm, Tony gesturing to the trees, talking excitedly. "He plans to bring people here for the experience of a lifetime."

Loki looked at Eidra, "Can you imagine?"

" 'Tis talk is all."

Loki turned his attention back to the paddock only to be drawn away again moments later by Lily who was holding Cait's hand. Cait was currently dragging Lily to Eidra, squealing, "Mamam"

Eidra looked down at her, "Mamam cannot pick you up, she has brother right now."

"Would you like to switch?" Lily panted, "She's got more energy than some of the guys I have to run down."

Eidra laughed as she handed Bryn to Lily, "What do you think of Asgard?"

Lily nodded, "Aside from modern conveniences, it's lovely. It's like stepping back in time."

"Tomorrow we shall go to the palace." Loki said though he didn't turn around.

"I can't wait. I'm sure we're not the first Midgardians to see it, right?"

"There have been others."

Loki smiled to himself, few others, in fact. When Brenna had begged him to have a birthday celebration here on Asgard with her friends, he had at first been adamant in his refusal but she had slowly worn him down. He had told her to prepare for Fury's denial. After all, it was his call as well as Ororo's. There was the safety of the teenagers to think about. Imagine his shock when Tony stepped up and volunteered to take the teenagers himself. Lily had joined in as well but it was nothing compared to Fury's approval.

He'd sat in Thor's bedchamber awestruck when the word was given while Thor laughed. Of course seeing Fury's perturbed expression as they arrived in Midgard to meet the party made everything all worth it.

Eidra had put Cait down again, she was not content to stay still for long and she was now playing at Lily's feet while Lily talked to Helgi.

Eidra slipped her arm around Loki's, "Have you thought more on accepting the invitation?"

Loki pursed his lips, "I do not know."

"It would be a chance to visit Alfheim again. It has been so long since I have seen it."

Two weeks past, there had come a knock on the door one evening. Loki had opened it to find Martin standing there on the doorstep with a blond woman with a vacant look in her eyes.

He had grappled with driving Martin from his land but Eidra had appeared at his elbow and invited Martin and the woman in for cider.

Martin had explained to him that he'd left Midgard for good. That he'd returned to Alfheim to live with Anna who, although not quite herself yet, was on the mend. The ordeal had taken its toll.

"I would be honored if you would grace my humble home with your presence. I know I cannot hope to amend the bad I've done but perhaps I could try in some small measure to compensate for the dreadful wrongs against your family."

He had mentioned ancient spell tomes he had collected and brought from Midgard. This intrigued Loki, though he was loathe to admit it. He thanked Martin for his offer of hospitality before they left, saying he would consider the invitation. Anna had given a short curtsey before she stepped into his wagon to leave. Loki was sure she would come around in time. He'd long ago learned that time was the only constant, the only healer, the master.

"Perhaps when Brenna returns to Midgard, we will pay him a visit. It is so hard with the babes so little." He smiled as he looked at the twins, sending a silent prayer of thanks. Eidra had been a month early with her labor but she had delivered at home two healthy children.

"This place is beautiful. Unsullied by pollution, clean and green. God I can feel myself getting healthier every minute." Tony leaned on the paddock fence, "Can you imagine? School field trips? Vacations? It'd be like a living history museum. Come on, I'd split the profits with you thirty seventy."

Pepper gasped, "Nice, you'd give him a bigger cut than you ever give me."

"Well honey," Tony gestured at Loki, "I mean he owns this place. Besides what's mine is yours and what's mine is mine right?"

Pepper shook her head.

"It is all money to you, is it not?"

Tony shrugged, "There's something more? Okay money and health, did I tell you I'm feeling healthier by the minute here?"

The teenagers were leading Blackberry towards the gate and he unlatched it for them. "Have you worked up an appetite with all that effort?" Loki teased them as they trudged out of the paddock smiling.

Brenna gave Loki a hug as she passed him. "We are starving." They had built a strong relationship over the summer. She was now going with him every other day to the palace, learning deportment, developing her combat skills, archery, swordplay. Each day she would ride home exhausted but happy. He began to wonder if in fact she would want to return to Asgard, had hoped she wouldn't but she would write a letter every week to Chase and Sophie. Thor would deliver them when he traveled to Midgard. She had argued that she could use the Uruz and just drop them in a mailbox but Loki had nixed that idea. When she'd mentioned the party, he knew she would have to return.

"Well Gretten has promised you will not leave the table hungry." Eidra said to them as they started back for the manor house.

Tony caught up with Loki, "Are you sure? I mean really sure we can't work out a deal here?"

Pepper poked him in the back, "Will you give it a rest?"

"What? We're just talking shop."

Loki shook his head, felt Eidra's hand slip into his and give a squeeze. He slid his arm around her shoulder, "It has been a busy day."

"It has, my heart," she put her hand up to cover his, "Would you have it any other way?"

Loki smiled down at her, "No."


End file.
